If we asked you to picture the most monstrous Mercedes of all time, we think a good portion wouldn’t imagine an AMG. Despite the legendary status of AMG, the Merc that keeps us up at night has to be the wild 190E 2.5-16 EVO II, and last year we were delighted to learn that one half of AMG’s founding members — Hans Werner Aufrecht — would be entering the restomod game with his own interpretation of this icon of the road and track, dubbed the HWA EVO.
Back then we had just a few sketches to spark our imagination — sketches that admittedly didn’t look very different from any of the 500 original 190E EVO IIs — but now we have a handful of seriously sinister renders to feast our eyes on.
While the likes of Singer and Nardone tend to take a more liberal approach with the designs of their restomods, it appears the HWA EVO will remain pleasingly faithful to the 190E EVO II’s already bombastic exterior. Still based on the W201 series while leaving the original EVO IIs untouched, HWA report that their creation will be considerably wider than its inspiration, with the bulk of changes to be found underneath that boxy skin.
HWA are remaining frustratingly tight-lipped on what these mechanical upgrades to the HWA EVO will be, but it’s worth refreshing our memories on the Affalterbach-based company’s origins. Founded in 1999, after Mr. Aufrecht sold his majority interest in AMG the year prior, HWA were still closely affiliated with Mercedes for years to come. While the name might not be too familiar, you’ll surely know some of their previous work: HWA were responsible for the production of the 20 road-going Mercedes CLK-GTRs as well as the six roadsters, so they know a thing or two about building unicorns.
HWA also currently fields the most successful team in DTM with no less than eight championships under their belts. They even have experience competing in Formula 3 and Formula E, so it’s safe to say the HWA EVO shouldn’t be lacking in pace, then.
What we do know so far is the price: each HWA EVO will start at 714,000 euros before VAT, meaning you can place definite tick in the eye-wateringly expensive box of your restomod bingo sheet. First deliveries are expected by the end of 2025, but there will be plenty more to learn about this unhinged restomodded Mercedes before then, so stay tuned!
