The nineties may have not been the best decade for fashion, but is often classed as the golden era by car enthusiasts thanks to the innovation that was appearing on roads around the world.
Turbocharged Japanese coupes may take the spotlight from their American and European-built counterparts throughout these years, but there's no denying that the decade was kicked off by one of the best-looking sedans to hit the tarmac.
You might've already guessed it, but we're talking about the Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II with its DTM-inspired body lines and unruly engine. 2020 marks 30 years since this car hit the road, and there's no denying that this car has aged like a fine wine.
As with most homologated cars, a limited run of 502 cars were produced, with almost every example finished in a blue-black shade, metallic shade and wearing widened fenders and huge rear wing. It's worth noting that the last two EVO II's ever built were finished in Astral Silver, making them the rarest of the range.
It was powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that was capable of 173kW and 250Nm of torque. While that doesn't sound like a heck of a lot these days, (especially considering AMG's new A45 hatch makes 310kW) it was enough to leave drivers grinning ear to ear.
Critics who drove the EVO II on launch marvelled at its ability to stay planted on the road, while also being able to predictably move around when pushed.
Here's what Automobil Revue had to say back in 1990:
“Even when you reach the critical limit, this four-door sports car demonstrates largely neutral over- and understeer characteristics that are hardly affected at all by load changes. If deliberately pushed, the EVO II can be encouraged to produce well-controlled oversteer.”
While they aren't as iconic at the wing-wearing EVO II, the Cosworth-powered 190 E models have also appreciated since releasing around the same time.
An automatic model, and an extremely sought-after manual model are both listed on Driven right now, click here to view them.