Special occasion: Mercedes 190E with Pagani-V12 for sale!

Today we highlight a special occasion. More than 1500 man hours were spent on this Mercedes 190E W201 to equip one with a Pagani-V12. After 3.5 years of construction, the car is even street legal. Ideal for teasing RS6s!

This 190E has only 4.84 seconds to hit the 100 km / h, so that should work fine. This is all due to the Mercedes-Benz M120 engine. That’s pretty much the same V12 engine we find in the Pagani Zonda C12. There it is good for 550 hp and 640 Nm of torque. In this Mercedes-Benz it is good for 424 hp and 575 Nm according to the owner. Still, the car is not built to go fast in a straight line. “Most people don’t understand that I want to make an engineering stand. In the first instance it is about how smoothly it drives and that there is a V12 in this car ”, Johan Muter, the man who built the car, tells Autovisie.

V12

Although the 190E has the same engine as the Pagani, it is not the donor car for this Benz. Muter took the power source from a Mercedes-Benz 600 SEL. Of course, that engine didn’t fit one-to-one in the 190E. “I was told this V12 will not fit in a 190E. Well, don’t say that to me ”, says Muter with a wink. Among other things, the subframe and engine mounts have been modified to fit the gigantic twelve-cylinder. The transmission (an automatic five-speed gearbox), the engine and oil cooling, the differential and the drive shafts have also been taken from a 600 SEL. But not everything is from Mercedes-Benz. For example, Muter has used the springs of the German competition (a BMW 3 Series E36).

Sleeper

There is nothing special about the exterior of the 190E, although of course it remains a nice car to see. The owner says he has tried to keep the car as standard as possible. Even the exhaust is roughly the same as the original. Yet the openings in the headlights – for more air supply – reveal that the Mercedes has been modified. But that there is a V12 under the hood, many probably do not expect at the traffic light. However, to make a fast car Muter could have made it much easier for himself. “For the same budget I could have put in a six-cylinder with an enormous turbo. Then it would have had 800 to 900 horsepower, which is technically much easier, ”says Muter, who thought it was important to make something really special.

To cheap

Muter therefore sells the car, in his own words, for too little money. “When I calculate my man hours, I have to ask for at least 75,000 euros for that car. And then I am one of the cheapest mechanics ”, the owner jokes. “But yes, it’s the only 190E with this V12, so what to ask?” Ultimately, Muter arrived at an asking price of EUR 68,950. He says he receives an e-mail from interested parties every day, but whether there is already a potential buyer, the owner does not yet want to know.

V8 turbo project

Muter does hope that he will get rid of his 190E as soon as possible. “I need the space in the shed to tinker with my next project,” he says. Johan does not make it easy for himself here either. His daily car, a Mercedes S124 (W124 TE station wagon), is equipped with a 5.0-liter V8 (M113 engine). When the creative can start his new project is therefore still the question. “If I can start in about two weeks, it will be finished before the summer”, Muter concludes.