What a 190E EVO II restomod costs, and where we sit in it
Five people are rewriting the Mercedes-Benz 190E EVO II right now, and the prices are nowhere near each other. Here is the whole market on one page, with a source against every number, so you can see what you are comparing before anyone quotes you.
| Build | Maker | How many | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wahnsinn EVO | Wahnsinn Wagens, Netherlands | 25 cars, in batches of five | €140,000 excluding VAT |
| 190E AMG Evolution Extrem | DMC, Germany | Conversion of a car you already own | From about $299,990 fully specified |
| Original 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II | Mercedes-Benz, 1990 to 1991 | 502 built | About $281,000 average at auction |
| HWA EVO | HWA AG, Germany | 100 cars | From €714,000 excluding VAT |
| Iride Evo 5 | Vespera Automobili, Italy | Coachbuilt, made to order | On application |
Prices as publicly reported in September 2026.
What does a 190E EVO II restomod cost?
Between roughly EUR 140,000 and EUR 900,000, depending on who builds it. The Wahnsinn EVO sits at the bottom of that range at EUR 140,000 excluding VAT and shipping. The HWA EVO sits at the top, starting at EUR 714,000 excluding VAT and passing EUR 900,000 once the options are specified. A conversion of a car you already own, such as the DMC 190E AMG Evolution Extrem, lands in between at about USD 299,990 fully specified.
A well kept original 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II, unmodified, averages about USD 281,000 at auction.
Why is the Wahnsinn EVO EUR 140,000 when the HWA EVO is EUR 714,000?
Because they are different kinds of car. HWA engineers a bespoke chassis and a new twin-turbo V6 drivetrain and certifies all of it. Wahnsinn Wagens starts from a documented Mercedes-Benz W201 donor and rewrites it: an M104 straight-six rebuilt to new tolerances and turbocharged to around 700 hp, a rebuilt six-speed manual, a Quaife limited-slip differential, KW V3 dampers, Brembo brakes, the EVO II wide-body kit bonded and painted in-house, and a fully retrimmed interior.
The edition is twenty-five cars built in deliberate batches of five. Buying parts and engineering time for five cars at once is what makes the price possible.
Is EUR 140,000 the whole price of a Wahnsinn EVO?
It is the whole price of the car in batch one. EUR 140,000 excludes VAT and transport, and there is no options ladder underneath it. Colour, accent, wheel design and interior are configured with the owner at no extra charge; the engineering is identical in all twenty-five cars, down to the 3.06 final drive, which is exactly why one number can cover the car.
Inside the number sit the donor car, the complete build, the configuration, the custom key, corner-weighting and shakedown, RDW inspection and Dutch registration where the car stays in Europe, the build file, and twenty-four months or 20,000 km of warranty on the work and the parts supplied.
Outside it, always: VAT where it applies, transport and transport insurance, import duties and port charges outside the EU, registration and road tax in the buyer's own country, and anything asked for after signing that is not in the specification. For a buyer outside the EU the car is invoiced without Dutch VAT once the export is documented.
What do I pay to reserve a Wahnsinn EVO?
Nothing. There is no deposit and no reservation fee. A commission is reserved by signing, not by queueing, and the build number of the twenty-five is allocated on the first call. The build starts on the first payment and does not wait for a batch of five to fill.
What does an original Mercedes-Benz 190E Evo II cost today?
About USD 281,000 on average, with the highest recorded public sale at USD 544,000. Only 502 were built, in 1990 and 1991.
How is a Wahnsinn EVO paid for?
In three moments, against the build rather than a calendar. Half on signing, which allocates the donor to the build number and pays for the parts ordered for it. Forty percent when the engine, transmission, drivetrain, steering and brakes are in and the car has moved under its own power in the workshop, filmed and sent to the owner. The last ten percent on the completion notice, before the car is released, collected or shipped. Title passes on final payment. Wahnsinn invoices in euro, payments come from an account in the buyer's own name, and no cash or third-party payments are accepted.
Why is batch two EUR 150,000?
The first five cars are built at the price that made the edition possible. Each following batch is priced when it opens, against what the previous five taught the workshop and what sourcing costs at that moment, so the price moves in one direction only: EUR 140,000 for batch one, EUR 150,000 for batch two, and no promise about batch four.
Sources
Competitor prices are quoted from public reporting and are not offers by us. Their pricing is theirs to change. The Wahnsinn EVO price is ours: EUR 140,000 for batch one and EUR 150,000 for batch two, with each following batch priced when it opens.