This Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 Has A Subtle Flair

“When I was a kid, I was so into cars, I had Road & Track, Car & Driver, I had Autoweek, I had all that stuff,” says Del Necessary. Inevitably, those publications ended up at his mom’s house; “…one day she was like, ‘I’m not holding onto this stuff, come get it,’ and I thought, ‘What am I going to do with all this?’ so I got rid of all those magazines… but I kept all the ones on the 16-valve.”
A few years later, after a chance encounter with a classified ad, he was the proud owner of a 1983 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16. Its racing success and subtle engineering advancements are what appeal to Necessary and his wife. “I think it’s a beautiful car,” he says, “…my wife complains it’s a box.”
A lifelong car enthusiast, Necessary has a small stable of classics from around the world, and while the others are all overtly sporty cars, the 4-door 190E is subtly menacing with a factory-fitted aerodynamic body kit. Menacing? Despite having less than 170 horsepower, its 2.3-litre engine was reworked by the British engineering specialists Cosworth, and the entire package was more than enough to challenge the E30 BMW M3 in period.
“Sixteen valve [engines] were kind of peaky, you know, until it got up on the cam,” he says, “…but it definitely kicks in at about four grand, and comes alive.”
He returned it to stock once getting the car, and apart from its European “Evo” wheels, remains as true to original as Necessary was able to get it. Once its daily driver, now, it get exercised regularly-early morning drives through the mountains are what Necessary loves most.
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[@benzracer9]

The 16v 190 is a great car! One thing many people do not realize is the 190 was the first MBZ production car to use the wonderful 5 link rear suspension. This works so well that every MBZ car since then AND the "after merger" high perf chrysler cars all still use the same design. Also the engine was originally designed to make north of 375hp in race trim and was "choked" down & compression lowered for the street versions. With some proper modifications these cars can really wake up,,,as I raced one in the SCCA in the late 1990s.

[@Jack9788]

Jokes about the owners name are not necessary. And will be del-eted.

[@bartvanriel6767]

you beat me to it smartass

[@kenlee9874]

Guys that's not NECESSARY!

[@jgpwlcs36]

My father owned a 190... 500,000 MILES on it and not a single mechanical failure (besides obvious things like brake pads, tires, etc) He said it was the greatest Mercedes he has ever owned

[@kenlee9874]

Very lucky to hace those miles achieved.

[@KingCast65]

Look man I am a BMW guy through and through but I have ALWAYS loved this car and still do. Would love to have one. Your wife should smoke a blunt and relax.

[@GreenWhiteRevolution]

Im a big fan of the 190e but i hate the american headlights. The German/european ones looking much better (in my opinion).

[@ramonmv17]

True

[@seanvanderburg7883]

+GreenWhiteRevolution American regulations at its worst. Google the 300E AMG Hammer, that really is the ultimate version of the W124 for me, it's my personal favourite and an absolute rocket! The one in this video is very nice too, but i'd swap the headlights.

[@Dawwwg]

+svdburg There are so many supercool W124 cars; some look even way macho than the AMG Hammer; checkout these the 11 coolest W124s ever (it's in Dutch, but has nice pictures and the names so you can Google it .. or use Google Translate): www.autoblog.nl/nieuws/dit-zijn-de-11-gaafste-uitvoeringen-van-de-mercedes-w124-86524 .... And yes, I'd swap the headlights as well :)

[@seanvanderburg7883]

+El Dawwg I assume you're dutch: Die had ik al gelezen ;). Tof artikel!

[@obedchattergoon2780]

+GreenWhiteRevolution Yes, exactly. I don't know why the US wanted to change the headlights at all. They make the car look older than it should. It's the same with the front and rear bumpers.

[@Archived_Rem]

Such a beautiful Benz. I'm going to miss the older gen cars

[@Kev27RS]

Why ''going to miss'' ? They're still around, and we are now able to get them for a reasonable price! ;) Especially luxury cars from back then, that costed a lot, are now accessible for most of the people!

[@kenlee9874]

@@Kev27RS the prices are through thr roof now!

[@Kev27RS]

@@kenlee9874 Yes... Depends on the model/version though.

[@X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X]

My parents had an '84 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.0 for the first six years of my life. Great memories ;)

[@noamchomsky3077]

Who gives a fuck

[@briankelly9347]

@@noamchomsky3077 he does prick

[@alpenjodel24]

@@noamchomsky3077 why do you even take the time to write this comment you fucking idiot

[@alanpassat6759]

I did a job for Alvis in Telford,England. I worked with a bloke called Joe Troth who had worked for Cosworth as a contract draughtsman on the cylinder head for this car. Joe brought brought in the original drawings he did for the head of this car.

[@jo23bulls]

Good memories. My dad had one when I was young.

[@georgeplatis]

When I turned 18 my dad used to own one of these. Actually it was the 2.5. Learned how to 'really drive' in this car... Oh the memories!! Miss this car.

[@carconnoisseur4615]

One day you should get one

[@dreadgnarr]

Thank you for helping the value of my 16V!

[@jgpwlcs36]

Lucky dog

[@KnightDriveTV]

+dreadgnarr Its time is comin...very soon

[@journalisten_boy9141]

When i was a kid, my father used to take me on the autobahn with this little fun toy.

[@foxo161]

I still think this is the most beautiful Mercedes 4-door

[@artysgarage]

Love the 190e

[@mereclander]

One of my childhood’s favourite cars!!!

[@074nathan]

My favourite Mercedes.

[@RussellRobinson77]

It's a beautiful box. :)

[@thore589]

Bruno Sacco´s masterpiece. The beauty of simplicity

[@VideoAmericanStyle]

Isn't that what getting older really is about? Finally catching up on some of these dreams you had when you were young. You won't get to them all; but once in awhile, you achieve one that really makes life worth living.

[@vesto]

will never forget my first love😀 had the baby benz 2.5 and it was amazing to drive. wish i could turn back the time...

[@TheMxboy199]

This is one of my favorite cars of all time

[@RecoveringGenius]

Loved my 190e. California pulls a lot of stunts on the smogging these though. I love the classic box shape. Timeless.

[@njshift]

This car is unique but you know we all really want the 190E 2.5 Evo II. nuff said.

[@user-pr3eo8tq4d]

*e30 m3

[@dl7694]

Had a M3, junkie build quality compared to the C class I bought after. found EVO ll for sale. I will have one regardless if I am outbid on this one.

[@StaVrosRaf]

@@dl7694 EVO II is just on an other level.

[@kenlee9874]

@@StaVrosRaf what's the power and handling difference?

[@StaVrosRaf]

@@kenlee9874 i am not talking about driving characteristics, there are much much better handling cars for the money, almost nobody is gonna get one of those for serious track work (even though you could) my point is that the the evo ii is a much more rare car and more refined than the m3 at least from what I've read. Plus i am a little bit of a merc fan boy sooo... you get the point

[@cosmokramer4703]

I've always loved the look of this car

[@EliteJovenAgent]

This video is very timely. I just walked back from driving and loving my fathers 190e and Im here in the internet to love it even more then this new video about the 190e came along. Im very very happy

[@Sakaflamas]

My dad have in 1990 a 2.3-16 black..... the best memories of my child

[@pinokio6149]

Hello from Serbia!!!A love mercedes,a have 190 2.3 1992 years....What a car...Best Mercedes ever made.Thank Mercedes for 190 series.

[@SimonInSanDiego]

Still one of the best looking cars out there.

[@ReynierAvon]

love his passion for the car

[@Sajuuk9]

As someone who is into details of cars, i always hate it when people drive cars they are proud of and fail to repair the speedometer.. you see it time and time again in these very nice KZbin video's about beautiful cars. Fix the damn speedometer!!! classic cars deserve that.

[@85corolla]

Why? The mileage doesn't go up with a down speedometer though, haha.

[@sapurvis]

I love the driving shots around LAX! Sweet 190-16 and another great story.

[@stefankoles]

such an amzing car,i think it one of the best car ever made.

[@stevenhearnden522]

I hope you are joking?!!

[@82coxy]

+Steven Hearnden Everyone's got an opinion.

[@gremotorsports]

@@stevenhearnden522 I dont think you understand the amount of engineering in these cars. They did a test that constantly for 2 days minus pitstops and driver changes were at full throttle the whole time with an average of like 186 mph. Do that in another car.

[@B_ok140]

it is the best car ever made..

[@jacksondoughty]

A beautiful, understated machine indeed.

[@SonOfTamriel]

I LOVE driving the 190 Evo II in Assetto Corsa.

[@SmallBlogV8]

Is this guy's surname strictly Necessary?

[@kurtrusellpatrickswayze]

+Mikeado66 is complaining about that strictly necessary

[@kenlee9874]

C'mon guys, is it really necessary?

[@elpistolero9394]

It sure is to get social security

[@josiahpercimoney5219]

i have a 2.0 190e and i have to say its one of the best cars i have driven in

[@rogbrown1458]

Couldn't agree more. That's why I have 4 of them. Rog. Pacific sunset records.

[@josiahpercimoney5219]

@@rogbrown1458 i need to get 1 more and buy a pandem widebody kit for it

[@kcranny9375]

Definitely on my CARS TO OWN LIST! Great vid. Thanks petrolicious.

[@Erowens98]

This was my first car, bought it used for under 2k, loved it so much i ended up putting over 20k into it within 5 years. I have tried other "cheapish" used cars, but none have i genuinely loved as much as this. I doubt i'll ever sell it. I'll just build it a separate garage if it becomes too outdated.

[@sidekickx81]

Great video editing. I love my 1987 m103 2.6 ❤️

[@BSNSINGH]

What a great 80's/90's car.Wish an Evolution model could be posted here.Thanks to all custodians for sharing your so nice cars on this fantastic video post.

[@1D0N]

Simply stunning

[@josapaster]

What´s not to like, great video and a great car enthusiast!

[@rosssmith9941]

Man your videos need more views. Your material is very cool. All your cars are only appreciated by the real car enthusiasts who know about these older Euro cars. Beautiful 190E!

[@iliasb196]

What a majestic beautiful machine..

[@annikavoigt7386]

Wonderful video. Thank you.

[@melihmercin3697]

Schöner 190E, Mercedes Power for ever.😎👍

[@ch13t]

I own an E30. And one day I'll get this Merc to go alongside in my parking garage.

[@theeurobandit]

Nice little Merc! I'm glad you take care of it! A lot of these got neglected! Especially the regular 190's.

[@aserta]

+Otto R (Eurobandit) Yeah, people've gotten it in their heads that because it's a regular one it's not worth much. It's still a merc, it's still quality. And let's be honest here, a few hundred dollars worth of investment in a good example can get you the specs you need to pass it up. Between a tasteful restomod and a barn rot, i'd take the restomod one.

[@theeurobandit]

Restomod? Nah either stock classic or no classic ;) That's how I like 'em :P

[@ICEMANZIDANE]

One of my dream cars. You should change the rims !

[@JuhOny]

Love the car and love all the shots by Dockweiler Beach. This video is phenomenal.

[@garyuppal]

I had the same colour/year. Amazing car throughout

[@mohmoudfarah1897]

Great job!

[@carconnoisseur4615]

I am a Mercedes fan and you are certainly right about a car speaking to you. Because the 560 SL and 560 SEL Spoke to me. Mercedes the Best or Nothing but the best!

[@moonpagan]

It's refreshing seeing people who recognize gems like this Mercedes-Benz 190E, instead of always the sensationalized over-the-top, fire breathing monsters plated in chrome and gaudy paint. I have many great driving memories of my 2-door hardtop, 1970 Mercedes-Benze 250-C, with it's aluminum straight 6 and mechanical fuel injection. Excellent taste, Del Necessary, I think you've got a great car there! :-)

[@micahaguas]

Awesome choice of transportation Del Necessary indeed.

[@MONSTERO7]

Simply beautiful

[@PontodaBeleza]

Good Job. Beatiful Car

[@jimjames8575]

very rare for a couple to have such a different yet unique set of cars...very good taste

[@Nakke144]

Back in the day when Mercedes knew how to build cars.

[@aserta]

+Nakke144 They still do. Problem is nowadays PR has taken over the design and tech department. That and failed bankers and stock market people. They've no idea how to run a car company and they run it like you'd run a bank. Make as much money on as little as possible. I think the biggest slap in the face to the devoted fans has to be using cheap parts that are then labeled (in my opinion a major fraud) as expensive ones. Funniest part to me is when one of my more fangirl buddies learnt that you could use other brand parts inside a merc and have it fixed on the cheap with equally good parts as opposed to the astronomical prices they demand on things like hoses or water pumps or even a wire loom.

[@Nakke144]

aserta They just don't seem to know how to build reliable cars. There are plenty of manufacturers who build and sell cars for much less money, but they are ten times more reliable than any Mercedes. Merc and their quality went down the toilet around the time when the first c-class was introduced.

[@roadwarrior144]

+Nakke144 To a limited extent you are right, but the quality has indeed come back. I am a mechanic at an independent Mercedes-Benz specialist and I can attest to their reliability. The most unreliable german cars have to be the recent generation of BMW's. I have seen no Mercedes-Benz come in to my shop with anywhere near the same level of problems and breakdowns that continue to plague BMW's. Merely my two cents' worth.

[@rosssmith9941]

Nakke144 AMG GTR, S550, G63/G65? yeah those cars suck!

[@rosssmith9941]

Robert Mintun BMW owners are told its okay for it to burn 2-3 quarts of every oil change😂. Mercedes owners dont have this issue.

[@TheZhere]

I Am so happy for this

[@travisp11]

Seeing this car brings back memories of watching DTM races on the Prime Sports network when I was a kid. That was one of the racing programs that fueled my early obsession with cars! Loved watching that Mustang GT in the DTM races, too!

[@Alanc419]

Ha Ha! I remember the Prime Network! Staying up late at night to watch the DTM - Alfa, BMW, Mercedes, and yes the Ruch Brothers who ran Mustang GTs! Great memories!

[@travisp11]

2MDSPORT TUNING I think the announcer was Milt Fitzwater. Dude, Klaus Ludwig was my hero when I was little!

[@Alanc419]

Amen Brother! Those were great times and great memories! Milt Fitzwater, you're right! Do you remember Ellen Lohr? She drove the W201 Evo. :-) Then came the Alfas!

[@travisp11]

2MDSPORT TUNING Oh yeah. I remember the cars and the drivers quite well. I always liked the Alfa's. I watched a bit of BTCC back in the 90's, too.

[@travisp11]

I must have assembled a half dozen Tamiya DTM model kits when I was younger.

[@mauriciopi3]

You guys really need to do a video about a BMW E36. My father use to have this cars, he had a 318i, two 325i, one M3, one 323i Sport and a 328i Touring and after a long time now I have a beautiful 328i Coupe! The inline six engine is one of the best ever made and I'm certain that a lot of fans would love to see this legend here!

[@shauntvr]

A nice car you cant beat a morning drive

[@BU91RN]

I love this channel, I watch every week. I'd like to see an old Ford sierra Cosworth on here. I'm surprised it hasn't been done already to be honest

[@bizzle6874]

Really nice ride

[@gelandewagen4376]

the gelding is just the best car in the world

[@722stirlingmoss]

Super nice car and video!!

[@AxCYeR]

perfect colour and wheels for this valver, and probably the perfect location as well. lucky bugger he is

[@oldschool1928]

Pershing Dr. that was part of my work commute to Santa Monica coming from 105 fwy.

[@MsMycene]

Such a remarkeble car❤

[@trolololo545]

My dad has one, its nice sitting in one of this i wish we also have a e46 m3 or the e30 m3. Really nice car

[@diecer50]

With Better Call Saul's 2nd season over now, Petrolicious is the only thing that makes tuesdays great.

[@viktordimitrovski9615]

Am I the only one to notice that the front suspension is ridiculously high on this particular car?

[@pottasium7117]

most stock suspension on that time of mercedes are, w124, w201 (ingeneral) etc.

[@HeltenDaggert]

love the car!

[@ugluwuglu]

This is the only car my dad bought twice. I loved every ride in it as a kid - 120+mph off-autobahn was standard.

[@KgreProductions]

I love this car!

[@MiegmaishMenas]

My first car when I was 18 was a 2.0 190E. So while not this engine, it was still so good. The car was light and nimble on it's feet. I enjoyed it very much and am still beating myself for letting it go.

[@telf10]

+MiegmaishMenas My first was a 2.3 Sportline, and i still have it ;)

[@germanandrespardogamboa4750]

Si antes de morir y ojalá desde joven puedo ver ése vehículo estacionado en mi casa podré morir feliz ... Que belleza 😍❤️

[@flypawels]

Beautiful Car!

[@Tigersmundo]

You guys at Petrolicious are amazing I bet you can even make a Yugo desirable.

[@mohdnadzam557]

A great car,truly...

[@vicesat]

Put European headlights

[@javierdesande9620]

Hostia, vicesat!!!

[@Hikarishores]

I love classic cars and I'm trying so hard to like my dad's 190e that has been sitting in my garage after he passed down to me. I've always felt that the design is stuck between classic and modern.. So hard to fall in love haha..

[@NFS4LFE]

What is that Seville at 3:13?! Make a video on that Petrolicious!

[@ddario314]

Woah one of my favourite cars, man, I wish i could get one of theses...one day. ;)

[@kudakwashemudzinganigwa5894]

About to buy mine in 3hrs....I can't wait

[@arisgod2749]

Excellent video as usual. The dude has some nice cars, thumbs up to him.

[@aserta]

+Arisgod27 He's got taste.

[@3SOULENT]

its cool seeing a beach you go to every week

[@thepassionofthegoose5472]

Liked but never loved my 86 16V. Still, I'm glad I had the experience of owning it for several years and enjoying it daily.

[@nissanskylinegtrr-3466]

beautiful car im big fan of mercedes-benz 190 evo

[@aa240sx]

nice choice. definitely agree that it needs to be lowered a tad.

[@Gullwingman]

Glorious Benz ❤️❤️❤️

[@classiccarssp]

Prices will rise up like hell.. Just wait 3 or 4 years! 😉

[@cesarcesarpires]

Yes 👍 its true

[@naveentomy2020]

Back in 80s where everything was like a box, it was really beautiful

[@Aspra]

I want to know more about that Seville photo on the wall.

[@dylanmatthews1484]

beautiful car , love it , especially the Uk Cosworth spec car.

[@cobaltlukather9045]

i would've said something about how it would've looked great with a little drop in the front but seeing how original it is and what an investment it is, i say that's perfect.

[@angus20715]

This car is soooooooooooooooooo beautiful.

[@robertamoyaw8812]

I had an old Benz 190D , which really surprised me with it's smooth handling ! I moved on to a w210 e300 Diesel n I really enjoy the comfort BUT am going back to a 190e because I miss the handling ability of the 190s. This one will be my first gasoline Merc so am REALLY EXCITED , I just can't wait to take those curves 🤓

[@abdohd3072]

I love this its my dream car now i have 240d but i really love this car 190 is the best car ever i dont even think about new ones , i love Mercedes 190