Stuttgart. The Touring Car Classics are an authentic racing experience with vehicles from the era of the first DTM. In June, the new series of historical motor sport celebrated its premiere. Eligible are vehicle models that took part in the German Touring Car Championship (1984 to 1996) or in the Super Touring Car Cup (1994 to 1999). The racing cars must conform to the technical regulations at the time. The organisers also set great store by historical authenticity when it comes to the appearance of the body.
With the 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II of the 201 model series, Mercedes-Benz Classic has produced a shining example of how to put these requirements superbly into practice: Kurt Thiim's original DTM vehicle from 1991 has been restored by the DTM experts from HWA and prepared for use in historical motor sport in conformance with the 1991 regulations. All the safety-relevant components have been completely renewed.
The restorers had excellent "raw material" to work with, as the vehicle, which has been in the possession of the Stuttgart-based brand since 2015, was in the same original condition as at the end of the 1993 racing season. The EVO II was raced for just three years: in the 1991 DTM season, Kurt Thiim achieved one victory (Norisring) and two second places (Norisring and Singen). In 1992 and 1993, the car was then used by Olaf Manthey and Uli Richter in the VLN endurance championship. They posted ten overall victories, 15 pole positions and 13 fastest laps.
