HWA Evo: ‘Please don’t call it restomod’

The biggest surprise of HWA’s first own car is that it is not based on a Mercedes E-Class. HWA is the company of the same name that was founded by Hans Werner Aufrecht when he sold AMG to Mercedes in 1998. And when most of us think of pre-road AMGs, we’re likely to conjure up memories of the monstrous ‘Hammer’ versions of the W124. E-Class. Wouldn’t that have been a clearer starting point?

“No, because the Hammer has never raced,” explains HWA CEO Martin Marx when PH was invited to an exclusive preview of the new car in Affalterbach earlier this week. “We wanted a car from our motorsport history, from our racing DNA, and the 190E Evo is still one of the most successful touring cars of all time.”

Hence HWA’s obvious tribute to the 190E Evo II that served as the basis for the most successful DTM versions of the baby Benz. The Evo II’s place in the pantheon of Merc’s most special models is already assured with values ​​to match. Last year, a barely used, 3,300-mile example sold for an astonishing $544,000 at auction in the United States. Which, considering that only 502 Evo IIs were made among the more than 1.9 million 190Es, gives a clear boost to the new version of HWA. There’s no shortage of potential donor cars – apparently more than 50,000 are still in use in Germany. But the dizzying heights of Evo II prices mean HWA is confident it will find buyers willing to pay €714,000 before tax for its car – which translates to €725,000 including VAT at current exchange rates. That’s a price that puts even Prodrive’s P25 Imprezo mod in the shade.

But with all due respect to the Scooby, the HWA Evo is a much more serious piece of re-engineering. Yes, it looks like an Evo II and shares parts of its bodywork with the 190E, but almost every part has been substantially changed. That point was driven home by the chance to see HWA’s ‘concept demonstrator’ parked next to its inspiration at the company’s headquarters in Affalterbach. The new Evo is significantly wider (a 300mm increase in body width at the rear), but also has a visibly longer wheelbase, with the front axle moved 50mm further forward and the rear axle 30mm back. Up close, the bodywork gives the game away, without there being a connection between body kit and panel like on the original Mercedes. The exterior of the HWA is almost completely new and made almost entirely of carbon fiber. The only original metalwork visible from outside the car are the C-pillars and side roof rails. Bumpers, wings, hood, tailgate and the double-deck rear wing are all made of carbon.

Even more radical changes have taken place beneath the surface. An original 190E shell is at the heart of every HWA Evo, but only the center section is used. The entire front end forward of the bulkhead has been replaced with a newly constructed steel and aluminum structure, built with the same materials and techniques that HWA uses for the AMG GT race cars it also builds. The rear gets a similarly serious rework with another all-new section, making room for a rear-mounted six-speed gearbox, with the offset location allowing for a perfect 50:50 weight distribution. Double wishbone suspension at each corner replaces the original combination of struts at the front and a multi-link at the rear, but with milled wheel carriers and bearings apparently the same as those used in Merc’s hugely heavy factory armored cars.

It would be pointless to do all the structural work at both ends of the car without also upgrading the original center section, which is done with welded reinforcement. “We want more structural strength, but we don’t want to have a visible roll cage in the car,” explains HWA Chief Technology Officer Gordian Von Schöning, “because that would be too obtrusive.” The bonded carbon fiber panels will also help increase torsional stiffness, as will a fully bonded rear window (one that will require HWA to commission custom glassware). Other mechanical changes include hydraulically assisted rack and pinion steering (the original 190E had a recirculating ball) it is driven by a hydraulic pump in the rear transmission. The brakes will use Brembo six-piston calipers up front and four-pots at the rear, with steel discs and carbon ceramics available as standard. Buyers can also upgrade from passive to active dampers.

The design is the work of Edgar Chu, a Mercedes and Nissan veteran who has overseen the styling of numerous race cars for HWA. Maintaining the character of the original Evo II while taking into account its considerable size and the need for improved cooling was a tough challenge, but he seems to have succeeded with the car’s basic shape; it is rightly proud of the integration of the front and rear wheel arch vents, which look functional and not just show-off. HWA placed an original Evo II in a wind tunnel and were impressed to discover that the rear wing and front splitter produce downforce in the form of a road surface – the parts were there for homologation reasons only. But the new Evo has been given the benefit of computer-controlled aerodynamics to deliver stability at high speeds. Von Schöning says the figures are not yet final, but the target is to achieve around 80kg of net aerodynamic downforce at 200km/h.

Details are where the assessment of a car like the HWA Evo will become more subjective. I liked the concept’s wheels, 19-inch front, 20-inch rear, which look like big and curvaceous versions of the car’s original 17-inch alloys. But I’m not a fan of the new LED headlights or taillights, nor the show concept’s black double-bar radiator grille. But as the owner of a 190E 2.5-16 – yes, it’s still in the garage – I’m far from an impartial observer. Von Schöning confirms that a chrome grille surround will be offered as an option, and while HWA won’t sell the car with a Mercedes star, buyers can also choose to have an original ‘gunsight’ star on the front of the hood to add.

The concept currently doesn’t have a finished interior – hence the tinted windows – but Chu says the plan is to retain the basic architecture of the original car rather than attempt a radical, ahistorical transformation. HWA says there will be Recaro seats and a digital instrument package, although the intention is that this will offer the option of a rendered version of the original Evo II’s stylish analogue clocks. It will also have standard air conditioning, but thanks to the carbon roof panel, it won’t have a sunroof. Unlike the original Evo II, which was available exclusively in blue and black, buyers will essentially have free choice of colour, with HWA planning to offer the chance to have a number of schemes inspired by famous 190E rally cars.

Which brings us to the biggest anachronistic change of all: the arrival of V6 power in the form of the 3.0-liter M276 biturbo engine as used in the previous generation AMG E43. On the face of it, this is the biggest flaw of all, given that the original Evo II’s original Cosworth-designed 16-valve four-cylinder was always one of its defining features, but also because Mercedes was only just starting to use V6 power . long after the 190E had gone out of production.

“This is a really cool engine, a really great engine,” says Von Schöning, “we had performance targets which meant we couldn’t use another four-cylinder, and the V6 is short enough to mean we could put it in a pre- have a mid-engine. configuration in front of the axle. The 60 degree angle also makes it low, which benefits the center of gravity. Of course we thought about using a V8, but that would have been very hard on the front axle – we might have had the same power, but more weight.”

The other appeal of the M276 for HWA is the untapped potential of the base engines, which come brand new and are then disassembled with components rebalanced before being rebuilt and road tested. The engine gets dry-sump lubrication, a new induction system and a custom HWA ECU. Unfortunately, the rev limiter doesn’t rise as far as the original Evo II’s 7,700rpm – just over 7,000rpm is apparently the target – but it does mean it will peak at 443bhp in its standard guise and 493bhp with the optional version . Affalterbach package. “But I’ll be honest: those figures are very conservative,” says Von Schöning. Two different final drive ratios will also be offered, delivering targeted top speeds of 270 or 300 km/h. Stability and traction control will also be standard, with drive reaching the rear wheels via a plate-type limited slip differential.

The point that HWA wanted to emphasize most during my stay in Affalterbach is the scale of effort invested in this new direction. “Please don’t call it a restomod,” asks CEO Martin Marx, “this isn’t an old car that we’ve modified, it’s essentially a brand new car. I can promise you that we have treated this project as seriously as anything else we do here.” This in a facility packed with race cars, race engines and many, many trophies from countless racing victories.

HWA sees road cars as an increasing part of its future; the smallness of the company makes it possible to operate in places where larger and less manageable companies such as AMG no longer can. In addition to its motorsport activities, HWA is already working on road car projects for other manufacturers, including the engineering and production of the upcoming De Tomaso P72 hypercar. The company also does custom work and one-off orders for wealthy customers, several of whom have already requested original Evo IIs to be restored in addition to orders for new cars.

But there will also be more limited edition projects like this one, with both Marx and von Schöning pointing out that the next one will likely be inspired by Hammer. Despite the seriousness of its price tag, the Evo already appears to be a success, with three quarters of the limited edition of 100 now having names against it. If you have three quarters of a million to spare and love the classic 90s DTM, don’t wait too long before getting in touch.