Nate Vincent is the Director of Motorsports at FCP Euro and the creator of their Mercedes “190E 2.0-16”. Nate set out to transform a 190E (W201) into his reimagined version of DTM “Golden Era” race car.
In the engine bay they swapped a turbocharged 2.0 L M133 inline-four from a GLA45 AMG. The team modified the block to switch from a transverse to longitudinal layout and fabricated custom mounts. Nate also swapped the motor’s water-to-air intercooler to a Volvo C30 air-to-air intercooler. The motor produces 400 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque on a Motec M141 ECU and custom wiring harness.
For the drivetrain Nate started with a 716.6 six-speed manual transmission using a custom flywheel and Tilton twin-disc clutch. From there power is delivered through a Driveshaft Shop custom carbon fiber driveshaft to a C240 (W203) rear end. Nate upgraded to a OS Giken Super Lock limited-slip differential with 3.46 gears. The custom axles were made using W201 shafts and W203 inner CV joints.
Nate improved the car’s handling with a set of Bilstein Clubsport coilovers. The front suspension features C63 AMG front knuckles and BMW E46 M3 steering rack. The car still retains the factory multi-link rear suspension albeit with Ground Control rear links. The brakes were upgraded to C63 AMG Brembo six-piston calipers with 360 mm rotors in front and C63 AMG Brembo four-piston calipers with 330 mm rotors in back.
The most striking modification is the Schaeffler livery wrap covering a Vuik Motorsport EVO II widebody kit. The exterior look is completed with a set of Rotiform R113 18×9-inch wheels (custom sizing) holding Kumho Ecsta V730 tires.
Nate and FCP Euro celebrated the project’s progress with a visit at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut. The outing showed the car’s promise at the track. We look forward to seeing a lot more of it. Until then you can view more details and photos of the car’s progress in FCP Euro’s build thread or the build video series.
Source: FCP Euro blog 1 and FCP Euro blog 2