CUSTOM QUARTET

Four unusual high-performance Mercedes-Benz cars cause a stir at Legends of the Autobahn
 
Article Gary Anderson
Images Dave Gooley & Susan Morehouse
 
After spending some time with Orange County MBCA member Jeff Wong who was awarded the MBCA President’s Trophy at the 2015 Legends of the Autobahn®in Monterey, I can think of only one way to describe him: High-performance gearhead.

The Mercedes-Benz automobiles that he has purchased for restoration during the last two decades to create his current collection of cars can only be called high-performance. And the enthusiasm that earned him the award, represented by the more than 50 cars that have passed through his hands during that time, also can only be characterized as high-performance.

The four cars he brought to Legends 2015, with a little help from his friends at Leistung Autohaus in Garden Grove, California – a 1986 190E 2.3-16V, 1995 E320 stealth wagon, the 1996 AMG E60 and a 1997 Brabus E65 – are all high-performance thoroughbreds, but they’re only a small selection from his current herd of seven Mercedes-Benzes.

1986 190E 2.3-16V

Spending lots of miles on the freeways of Southern California visiting customers, in 1994 Jeff bought a low-mileage 1993 500e that was more car than the first owner wanted, but exactly what Jeff was seeking. Mercedes-engineered and Porsche-built, limited production, comfortable and satisfying to drive, it whetted his appetite for more of the same.

Jeff’s taste in rare high-performance cars eventually led to an interest in the unusual car – the 190E 2.3-16V – that Mercedes built in 1983 to compete in German road-course races. The compact W201 190E with the 2.3-liter 4-cylinder engine equipped with a 16-valve Cosworth head would launch him down a slippery slope.

He established mutually supportive friendships with Matt Stockwell, owner of Leistung Autohaus, and Bryan Jarvis of Mercedes-Benz of Long Beach; both, as well as a growing network of like-minded gearheads, help Jeff maintain his cars. The 16Vs eventually began finding him, he said. A friend sold him his first 16V – a 1987 North American model in great condition. Sadly, Jeff actually watched one day from his office window as the car was stolen out of the company parking lot. In the ensuing police chase, the young thief totaled the car, though he was unhurt when he was arrested.

To replace it, another referral pointed him to a 16V project plus a parts car; thus Jeff’s obsession began. The parts car without engine was subsequently sold to a friend named Bob as a track-car project; the engine and project car became the third in a long line of 16Vs that have passed through Jeff’s stable. The total, he thinks, is currently at about three dozen. Jeff has become the go-to 16V guy in an expanding network of sources for referrals and people looking for parts for their 16V projects. For himself, Jeff found a 1985 Smoke Silver Euro-spec car for a weekend driver.

In the meantime, Bob’s goals had changed and he began a ground-up show-quality restoration on the 16V Jeff had sold him. Bob’s first step was painting the Mercedes-Benz performance sedan Obsidian Black. About three years ago, with his circumstances changing yet again, Bob called to ask for Jeff’s help marketing this pristine but incomplete car. In Jeff’s deck of cards, black trumps smoke silver, so he sold his weekend car and bought what everyone at the Leistung shop now calls “Bob’s Car,” the 1986 190E 2.3-16V on the field at Legends.In a nice example of karma, the black leather interior Jeff had salvaged from the wreck of his first car was installed in Bob’s Car to finish up the project.

But “finish up the project” may be a bit of an understatement. Do you see a pattern emerging here? To fill the engine bay of this 190E 2.3-16V, Jeff built an engine with Fleiben lightweight flywheel, clutch kit and exhaust header, and 15 percent underdrive crank pulley. He added lightweight power steering and water pump pulleys, and when all was said and done, the engine dyno’ed at 207 horsepower and 204 pound-feet of torque: Compare that with the stock 16V engine that was rated at 185 horsepower and 173 pound-feet of torque.

That power reaches the wheels through a Getrag 5-speed dogleg manual transmission and Wavetrac limited-slip differential. The 500E coil springs with Koni adjustable shocks all around take care of the car’s handling while 500E 300mm Brembo aluminum-caliper 300mm brakes in front, 600SL ATE caliper 300mm brakes in the rear, and an EVOII rear sway bar provide superior stopping power and safety.

1997 Brabus E65

While engaged in buying yet another 16V about five years ago, Jeff was shown a black Mercedes-Benz sedan sitting across the yard, and was challenged to identify the model. He could easily see it was a W210 built around 1996 or 1997 and the blacked-out trim suggested tuner work, so he guessed it to be one of the 6-liter AMG conversions.

Close, but no cigar. As he neared the car, Jeff saw that the hood and wheel hubs had Brabus rather than Mercedes insignias. He knew exactly what it was, though he couldn’t believe it was in the United States.

Sure enough, it was a 1997 Brabus E65, which like its cousins from Germany’s Affalterbach workshops, started life as an E420 with an M119 4.2-liter engine. However, this U.S.-specification car was one of the first Brabus conversions carried out in the United States and the only E65 known to be in the country. When Jeff learned its story, he made an offer on that car as well and sent the flat bed back to the seller for a second time.
Built to power the fastest sedan in the world for its time, the engine had been built at the Brabus shops in Germany, with the block bored and stroked from 4.2 to 6.4 liters, fitted with one of 12 specifically ordered steel billet crankshafts, plus custom connecting rods and pistons. According to the literature of the time, these conversions were capable of 192 mph.

The engine, the Brabus interior trim, exterior body kit and accessories, and very extensive Brabus-specified suspension with additional brake modifications were all installed at Mercedes-Benz of Beverly Hills, where some of the technicians still remember the car.
Jeff did have to fix a problem that he didn’t detect during the car’s initial use, repairing a portion of the main engine harness to correct a problem with the knock sensor that disrupted full-power delivery.

1996 AMG E60

Though emotionally in love with compact 16Vs, Jeff still admits to a respect for the bigger high-performance sedans, so it’s no surprise that he had not one, but two tuner W210s on the field this year. The second example has an equally interesting history, though its initial appearance on the San Francisco Bay Area craigslist about three years ago wouldn’t have suggested that.

This was another car that found its way to Jeff’s heart through the recommendation of a friend who initially called just to get Jeff’s opinion as to whether a 1996 AMG E60 being offered for sale was genuine, especially at the low price being asked. That was enough to get Jeff out to LAX and onto a plane to San Francisco. When he first saw the mystery E60, the car’s lack of sunroof instantly validated it as a rare Euro-spec vehicle. Jeff canceled his return flight, wrote a check on the spot, and drove the black AMG home.

Further research filled in the missing pieces. The car had originally been registered by AMG in Affalterbach as a 1996 E420. According to Barry Taylor Enterprise, then doing business as AMG West, which performed the compliance and conversion work to legalize the car for registration when it was imported to the United States in 2003, at some early stage in production, the standard M119 engine was increased in capacity to 6 liters and brake and suspension upgrades were  also fitted.

The only other record found concerning this 1996 AMG E60 is that it was first privately registered in 1998 to Domingos Piedade, an AMG executive from Portugal who later sold the car to the U.S. buyer. Although the story is completely speculative, it seems likely that during its first two years of life, this car was used as a high-speed test mule at AMG’s facility in Affalterbach to evaluate various engine and suspension modifications and upgrades as part of the development of the AMG-engineered Mercedes-Benz E55. When the engineers were done, the vehicle was transferred to the company executive, Piedade, who used it for personal transportation before eventually selling it on to the American buyer.

The AMG was in pretty neglected condition cosmetically when Jeff looked at it, which helps explain the low sales price, though the mechanical details were in good shape. Jeff had the entire front clip resprayed in the original Diamond Black Metallic paint, installed new xenon headlights, fog lights, trim pieces and grille to restore the E60 to its former glory. He also replaced the rear taillights with those from a later model W210 E55; to him they just looked better.

And then last but not least, there’s the white car.

1995 E320 stealth wagon

Jeff admits that the white station wagon in the group isn’t yet in the same league with the others – but then again, he isn’t done, either. Needing a solid daily driver to haul his 175-pound Newfoundland, as well to make parts runs, and liking the build quality of the W124 chassis, he bought this 200,000-mile original wagon. Since acquiring it, he’s replaced the factory 15-inch wheels with 18-inch BBS LM items, swapped in H&R springs and Koni adjustable front shocks to firm up handling, and resprayed the lower cladding and bumpers back to their original Marble Grey.

But wait, there’s more. Jeff has already made plans for additional modifications, including swapping in a 3.6-liter M104 engine from a C36, and installing a Getrag manual gearbox from a 16V and a Wavetrac LSD. StopTech front calipers and SL600 rear brakes should slow things down nicely when needed. When he’s finally finished with the E320, Jeff says the white wagon will still be practical, but it’s also likely to be the fastest Newfiemobile in all of Orange County.
 


Unusual Euro-spec 1996 AMG E60, customized 1995 E320 station wagon, highly modified 1986 190E 2.3-16V and Brabus conversion 1997 E65.
 


Say Ahh! The 1996 AMG E60, 1995 E320 stealth wagon, 1986 190E 2.3-16V and 1997 Brabus E65 lift their hoods.



RIGHT, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: AMG E60’s standard M119 engine increased to 6 liters, E320 wagon will soon have factory lump replaced by C36 M104 engine, 190E 2.3-16V sports 207 horsepower and 204 pound-feet of torque. Brabus E65 engine bored to 6.4 liters, has custom crankshaft, rods and pistons, could top 190 mph.
 


AMG E60 in front with white E320 stealth wagon to left, roof of 190E 2.3-16V visible behind AMG and Brabus E65 to right rear.



MAIN IMAGE, BELOW: Brabus E65 center stage with AMG E60 behind on left, E320 wagon at center rear and 190E 2.3-16V behind to right.



IN VERTICAL ROWS FROM LEFT: Comparative views of the insignia, wheels and characteristic elements of AMG E60, E320 wagon, Brabus E65 and 190E 2.3-16V.
 


Rear aspects of this high-performance custom quartet: AMG E60, E320 wagon, 190E 2.3-16V and Brabus E65 on the lawn at Legends of the Autobahn, 2015.



CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Cockpit views of 1996 AMG E60, 1995 E320 stealth wagon, 1986 190E 2.3-16V and 1997 Brabus E65.

Specitications

1996 AMG E60

TYPE: W210 Four-door, four-passenger sedan
ENGINE: M119.980 6.0-liter V-8
TRANSMISSION: 722.60X 5-speed automatic
HORSEPOWER: 376  TORQUE: 420 lb-ft
LENGTH: 189.7 in  CURB WEIGHT: 3,768 lb
PERFORMANCE: Zero-62 mph 4.9 sec; Top speed 186 mph (est)
 

1995 E320 stealth wagon

TYPE: W210 Four-door, seven-passenger station wagon
ENGINE: M104.992 3.2-liter inline-6
TRANSMISSION: 4-speed automatic
HORSEPOWER: 217 TORQUE: 229 lb-ft
LENGTH: 187.6 in  CURB WEIGHT: 3,329 lb
PERFORMANCE: Zero-62 mph 7.8 sec; Top speed: 135 mph
 

1986 190E 2.3-16V
(EC specifications)

TYPE: W201.034 Four-door, four-passenger sedan
ENGINE: M102.990 2.3-liter twin-cam 16-valve inline-4
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed Getrag 275Z dogleg manual
HORSEPOWER: 207 TORQUE: 204 lb-ft
PERFORMANCE: Zero-60 mph: na; Top speed: 145 mph (est)
 

1997 Brabus E65

TYPE: W210 Four-door, four-passenger sedan
ENGINE: M199.985 6.4-liter V-8
TRANSMISSION: 722.60X 5-speed automatic
HORSEPOWER: 450 TORQUE: 488.6 lb-ft
LENGTH: 189.7 in CURB WEIGHT: 3,768 lb
PERFORMANCE: 0-60 mph 5.1 sec; Top speed: 192 mph