Tuesday 4th June 2024

First HWA Evo to be auctioned next month

Chassis 000 of 190E Evo II restomod will be the 'ultimate expression' - could it make a million?

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It didn’t seem like the HWA Evo would be here so soon. The company, created by AMG co-founder Hans Werner Aufrecht and responsible for all manner of Mercedes motorsport successes, said the first examples of its 190E 2.5-16 Evo II-based restomod wouldn’t be here until 2025. But today it has announced that Chassis 000 - the ‘first production example’ - will be auctioned at RM Sotheby’s Tegernsee sale on July 27th. Which sounds a lot like a complete car. 

Since we last reported on the Evo in January, the firm's official website has added a brochure apparently confirming some of the new model's 'standard specification'. The raw figures are encouraging to say the least: 1,350kg; 50/50 weight distribution; 450hp and 405lb ft of torque (from a modified Mercedes' 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6); and, enthrallingly, a transaxle six-speed manual. If that weren't enough, HWA suggests that 'DTM suspension' means double wishbones all round with electrically adjustable dampers - along with a 30mm lift system, which it looks like you'll definitely need. All this from a company that - let's not forget - was involved with projects like the CLK GTR street car, CLK DTM AMG and SL65 Black Series. So its promise of an ‘uncompromising reinterpretation of a classic’ rings true before you even get to the bit about an integrated rollcage, 4-point Recaro classic seats and a modern climate control system. 

As you might imagine, Chassis 000 will be built to the highest spec possible that HWA is offering for the Evo - no exact details on that declaration just yet, but expect all the stops to have been pulled on its mission to make 'the best car in the world even better' - and it will be sold with signed copies of documents used in the development of the car, as well as an ‘archive of exceptional press and event imagery.’ Even by special edition standards, it’s going to be an exceptional Mercedes. 

The RM Sotheby’s Tegernsee Auction is part of the Concourse of Elegance Germany. There’s not an estimate for the car yet, or an auction listing, though it has to be assumed that Chassis 000 will make more than the €714,000 each build starts at given its spec and unique provenance. Though certain other chassis numbers have been assigned to upcoming builds, HWA says that allocations are still available for 2025 and beyond. So if you were always more of a 190E kind of person than an M3 one, you know what to do…

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[mrclav]

Yeah, it'll make a million.

[Newbie2023]

I wonder why there are no pictures available of a physical car if there is one to be auctioned next month?

[BigChiefmuffinAgain]

Sounds like someone is running into a cash flow problem...

[Quickmoose]

Fantatsic thing.
A Singer
A Kimera
And this.

That's my 3 car garage sorted...

[Terminator X]

Missed this somehow. Looks

TX.

[Gecko1978]

BigChiefmuffinAgain said:

Sounds like someone is running into a cash flow problem...

Yeah could well be. Plus while this and other restos look great do they actually have much of a market second hand so as an investment not so bankable. The Subaru P25 thing springs to mind bought to be flipped an then not selling

[AmazingGrace]

Gecko1978 said:

BigChiefmuffinAgain said:

Sounds like someone is running into a cash flow problem...

Yeah could well be. Plus while this and other restos look great do they actually have much of a market second hand so as an investment not so bankable. The Subaru P25 thing springs to mind bought to be flipped an then not selling

Good point. Those in the market for a restomod, with the cash to flash, will be buying someone else’s desires and wishes.
Who’d want to do that? A large part of the restomod journey (I imagine) is the buying processs and agonising over the spec/decisions etc

That said, this particular merc leaves me a little cold. It looks too much of a poster car. Yes I know that’s the point.

[TGCOTF-dewey]

Again with wheels that are too big.

It makes restos look comedic.

[Lord_Howit_Hertz]

Gecko1978 said:

Yeah could well be. Plus while this and other restos look great do they actually have much of a market second hand so as an investment not so bankable. The Subaru P25 thing springs to mind bought to be flipped an then not selling

2Manycars on here had to sell his Singer DS shortly after it arrived, think he trebled his money, although that wasnt the reason for the sale.

[Bladedancer]

Oh yes please. Shame I can't afford neither this nor the original :/

[pb8g09]

Whilst I love a lot of restomods, I just can’t get on with this one. I imagine it will look great when they finally build one, it’s probably just the CAD version that’s making it look to cyberpunk for me.

[Dr G]

Newbie2023 said:

I wonder why there are no pictures available of a physical car if there is one to be auctioned next month?

"show cars" are to be finished at 3am on the morning of the show; usually 2 hours before you have to set off on a 6 hour drive.

[thegreenhell]

Lord_Howit_Hertz said:

Gecko1978 said:

Yeah could well be. Plus while this and other restos look great do they actually have much of a market second hand so as an investment not so bankable. The Subaru P25 thing springs to mind bought to be flipped an then not selling

2Manycars on here had to sell his Singer DS shortly after it arrived, think he trebled his money, although that wasnt the reason for the sale.

A DLS is a £2m car, and I doubt very much that he sold it for £6m.

[AmyRichardson]

thegreenhell said:

A DLS is a £2m car, and I doubt very much that he sold it for £6m.

Yep, something like three other Porsches have been sold for more and they were all storied race cars.

(Granted, quite a few will have exchanged for big money via private and unpublicised routes, but again - they'll be trading on provenance rather than product.)

[GreatScott2016]

TGCOTF-dewey said:

Again with wheels that are too big.

It makes restos look comedic.

My initial thought was the same, but it kinda works with this model

[Lord_Howit_Hertz]

thegreenhell said:

A DLS is a £2m car, and I doubt very much that he sold it for £6m.

I think the numbers on the Schmee video about the car are different to that, It was quoted as being sold to a collector in Scotland for over $4mil and cost to buy originally quoted $1.3mil.

[Macboy]

I don't hate everything about it but only because there's no interior picture. Then I could hate everything about it.

[trevalvole]

As an owner of a Merc V6, I would have to say, wouldn't a V8 be more appropriate, especially for a money-no-object thing like this, always assuming it would fit (the 2.6 straight six did)?

[pSyCoSiS]

Love it, apart from the lights - need to make them more OEM with a slightly modern twist. These ones look odd on this.

[British Beef]

trevalvole said:

As an owner of a Merc V6, I would have to say, wouldn't a V8 be more appropriate, especially for a money-no-object thing like this, always assuming it would fit (the 2.6 straight six did)?

100%

For my £1,000,000 in this amazing looking car I absolutely would demand AMGs finest V8.

For a million, a V6 turbo does not cut the mustard in a dream car.

Nothing to do with performance (a 1.6lt 3 cyclinder yaris GR can be made to churn out 500hp), it is everything to do with v8 noise