Miguel Sánchez
PHOTOS: MERCEDES-BENZ / SCHULZ
Within the large automobile companies, most ranges are quite wide. That is, although each of the brands continues to have a defined identity, the truth is that in the same dealer you can find from family to compact equipped with the same symbol on the grille. In fact, one of the brands that best shows this is Mercedes. Undoubtedly we all have in mind the large sedans as a sign of the German manufacturer, something that is not an obstacle to being able to acquire urban and industrial ones crowned by the three-pointed star. However, what is very normal today was not so four decades ago.
Of those, Mercedes was still a brand that did not get into the field of others such as Volkswagen. While the former took care of the roomy four-door sedans, the latter was strong in the compact arena thanks to the balanced Golf. A situation that could change surprisingly thanks to the Mercedes 190E Stadtwagen from 1981. A compact project ahead of the brand's first immersion in the segment with the 1997 A-Class by almost two decades. An urban that still continues to attract attention for its daring design reminiscent of a minivan.
Anyway, the most unexpected thing about the Mercedes 190E Stadtwagen project is that it comes from rallying. Yes, you read it right. A curious turn of events, which comes from Mercedes' attempt to lead the sport in the late 70s. To do this, wanted to equip themselves with a small compact Mercedes that they could homologate for competition. An idea that was finally stranded when, in 1980, the Germans decided not to invest more in the world of dirt racing. It is at this point that Mercedes engineers are left with a short wheelbase chassis. Determined to recycle the project, they think about designing an urban compact.
MERCEDES 190E STADTWAGEN. FROM THE RALLY TO THE CITY
The truth is that the reasons for the birth of this compact Mercedes are the most unexpected. And it is that, only by rebound after rehearsing with the idea of rallies, a brand dedicated to spacious sedans could have a chassis with a short wheelbase in their hands. Perfect for a sports car that sweeps through twisty paths, yes, but also to mount an urban compact on it. What, in terms of bodywork, we can call “hatchback". The platform was derived from that of the successful 190 W201, the so-called "baby Benz" that served so much to bring sedans to a younger and wider audience.
Cut a few centimeters to reach only two meters with eight inches of battle, the set gave a total of just under four meters. Of course, of what would be one of the greatest successes of the brand this compact Mercedes took few more elements than the chassis on which the cutout would be made. And it is that, Devised between 1980 and 1981, the Mercedes 190E Stadtwagen was tested in parallel with the last pre-series of the saloon. That is why the front seems to lack a good finish, as well as the use of the tailgate and the rear lights of models born during the seventies such as the W123. What is identical is the dashboard, giving a luxury and comfort that could have made this prototype stand out over the Golf.
In fact, that was the idea. Equipped with a 2-liter four-cylinder engine and 122CV, the Mercedes 190E Stadtwagen was intended to be a compact with the touch of distinction of Mercedes. Something like what the Lancia Y10 was in 1985 within the A segment. Offering finishes and style typical of superior ranges in city cars aimed at a wider audience. However, despite being an interesting idea on paper, This compact Mercedes was left in the experimental phase with a single unit preserved today in the museum of the brand. Of course, the idea did not fall entirely on deaf ears. Since the German coach Schulz did his thing from a 190 W201.
FROM 190E STADTWAGEN TO 190E 2.6 CITY. WANTING TO BEAT THE GOLF GTI
Eberhard Schulz is known for being responsible for such special vehicles as the Erator GT or the Isdera Commendatore. 20 years marked by exclusive supercar projects alternating with jobs for Porsche. Without a doubt, they a character from German motorsports who, in the early 80s, created Schulz Tuning in full vehicle transformation fever after the success of Koenig. However, far from going to jobs with exclusive cars as a base, he set his sights on the popular 190E saloon. Its objective? Well, something very different from tremendous 2.5-16 Evolution II from 1990.
And it is that, instead of enhancing the saloon with the DTM in mind, his idea was to compete with the Volkswagen Golf. For it redesigned the 190E into a compact Mercedes with some volumes ... Well, maybe not very successful but interesting. In fact, the front of the saloon is preserved as is in the compact, making the main modification of the Schulz 190E 2.6 City the rear. Cropped, it is equipped with a wide tailgate to finish off lines in which the rear doors have been eliminated.
Anyway, the main advantages over the Golf GTI obviously did not lie in the aesthetics. Rather in performance since, to surpass the 1.8-liter engine of the GTI, the Schulz 190E 2.6 City installed the most powerful engine available in the 190 range. A 2.6-liter capable of delivering 160CV. More than enough to turn this creature into a rabid compact Mercedes, yes, made by a small preparer. Precisely the reason for its limited success. And is that Schulz was not a company for mass production, but simply to create small runs of exclusive models. However, the Schulz 190E 2.6 City is, years later, a curious precedent of the sports compact that Mercedes sells today.
