Introduced in 1982 and known as the “Baby Benz,” the 190 model was Mercedes-Benz's first modern compact offering, designed under Head of Styling Bruno Sacco. To market the model, Mercedes-Benz first considered entering it in the World Rally Championship, but the adoption of sophisticated all-wheel-drive systems by its competitors in the early 1980s led to those plans being abandoned. The brand’s competitive ambitions for the model were instead directed toward the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM; “German Touring Car Championship”), where it would face off against the first-generation BMW M3 in one of motorsport’s classic rivalries.

To meet the homologation threshold for DTM, 500 roadgoing examples of each performance variant of the 190 E had to be built to qualify the cars for competition. The Evolution II, the ultimate iteration of the car, brought increased power and a distinctive aerodynamic treatment that enabled the model to finally claim its first DTM Championship over rival BMW.