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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Niki Lauda" - The eternal runner-up

Name: Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 Niki Lauda 1984
Brand: Mercedes-Benz

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Created on August 25, 2023

Text:

Paul Krüger

Photos:

Federico Vecchio / RM Sotheby's

Archiv Daimler AG

Mercedes-Benz AG

Federico Vecchio / RM Sotheby's

Archiv Daimler AG

Mercedes-Benz AG

Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - driven by Niki Lauda at the opening race of the new Nürburgring in 1984

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - The racing version is 15 mm lower than the standard model

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - How Ayrton Senna saw it

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - Carlos Reutemann had to get used to this sight

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - Only one of two cars that survived in racing specification

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - name on the upper edge of the windshield

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - Reason for the limited choice of colors: The body kit came ready-painted from the supplier

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - The name on the door was barely legible after a few laps of the race

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - The headlight cleaning system is very useful in the rainy "Race of Champions"

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - More displacement and valves: reference to the Cosworth engine at the rear

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - lettering on the left as on the more staid brothers

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - Special light-alloy wheels with 19 mm lower offset for a wider track

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - Niki Lauda was one of 9 participating Formula 1 world champions

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - star and rear wing combined for the first time on a road vehicle

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - The wing was once perceived as semi-strong, but significantly reduces lift

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - starting number on the rear side panel

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - Typical Daimler detail: the right-hand exterior mirror is shorter and higher than the left-hand one

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - Niki Lauda hardly had to look backwards. He moved up from 14th on the grid to 2nd place

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - Not used in the race: Indication of the position of the lashing eyes

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - Forced ventilation in the C-pillar

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - parcel shelf for those in a hurry with fastening points for the harness straps

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - Loop for the circuit breaker between windshield and hood

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - largely standard interior with thick roll cage

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - Standard instruments. Due to the shorter rear axle, three quarters of the speedometer scale would suffice

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - sports gearbox with first gear left rear

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - Not retrofitted: The racing cars were also equipped with radios

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - Electrically sliding bucket seats. The one on the right was only required for looks and symmetry

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - Two-seater four-seater: roll cage and harness belts make the rear seat bench unusable

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - Circuit breaker on the dashboard

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - Heating control as simple as it is logical

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - The four-cylinder engine remained untouched for the race

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - only genuine with this chassis number

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - M 102 boosted to 185 hp thanks to Cosworth four-valve head

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 "Nürburgring" - very well equipped for a racing car

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 (1984) - Opening race Nürburgring: Niki Lauda ahead of Carlos Reutemann, John Watson, Alain Prost and Denny Hulme. Already ahead: Ayrton Senna

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Mercedes Benz 190 E 2.3-16 (1984) - Start of the inaugural race on the new Nürburgring on May 12, 1984

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Mercedes Benz 190 E 2.3-16 (1984) - Alain Prost and Carlos Reutemann in the lead at the opening race of the new Nürburgring on May 12, 1984

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Mercedes Benz 190 E 2.3-16 (1984) - Ayrton Senna wins the inaugural race at the new Nürburgring

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Mercedes Benz 190 E 2.3-16 (1984) - Up-and-coming talent Ayrton Senna wins the Nürburgring Winner's Race on May 12, 1984

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Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16 (1984) - with temporary livery. In the race, Reutemann drives a blue and black car with the starting number 4

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Mercedes Benz 190 E 2.3-16 (1984) - the 185 hp sports engine, with catalytic converter it was only 170 hp

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Mercedes Benz 190 E 2.3-16 (1984) - the four-cylinder M 102 E 2.3-16 engine - with four valves per cylinder

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Mercedes Benz 190 E 2.3-16 (1984) - in blue-black metallic

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Mercedes Benz 190 E 2.3-16 (1984) - here in smoky silver, one of the two colors in which the car was available from 1984 onwards

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Mercedes Benz 190 E 2.3-16 (1984) - the winning car of the Nürburgring opening race on May 12, 1984 was largely standard equipment

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Summary

Normally, nobody in motorsport is interested in the runner-up. Especially not at a short show race without any championship reference somewhere in the German provinces. But when Mercedes-Benz gathers 20 motorsport celebrities at the Nürburgring, even the first loser is sure to attract attention. This article tells the story of the car in which Niki Lauda finished second in the inaugural race of the new Grand Prix circuit in 1984 - behind a young Brazilian who was barely known at the time.

This article contains the following chapters

Racing car with full equipment
The supporting program goes beyond the scope of
Survival rate 10 percent

Estimated reading time: 7min

Preview (beginning of the article)

When the new Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit was inaugurated on May 12, 1984 after two and a half years of construction, Daimler-Benz took the opportunity to prominently showcase the company's latest sports model. Instead of just statically displaying a few cars on pedestals and talking about driving dynamics, Gerd Kremer, Head of Public Relations in Stuttgart, had come up with something much more entertaining: In a twelve-lap race, 20 of the most famous racing drivers of the recent past were to demonstrate the motorsport talents of the new Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16. With Jack Brabham, Phil Hill, John Surtees, Denny Hulme, Niki Lauda, James Hunt, Jody Scheckter, Alan Jones and Keke Rosberg, nine of the 14 living Formula 1 world champions took part. Juan Manuel Fangio was present as a brand ambassador, but at the age of 72 considered himself too old to race. Jackie Stewart had sworn off active racing after the death of his friend François Cevert, which also applied to insignificant fun events. And the reigning world champion Nelson Piquet was forbidden by Brabham engine supplier BMW from showing off in a product of their arch-enemy.

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