Restoring a Mercedes 190E to its old glory

It's one fine day in 1991 and you're walking down the streets of Dhaka. The capital's traffic is filled with budget family cars from Volkswagen and Toyota. Among all, you spot a large four-door sedan that stands out with its size and presence. 

As it goes past you, you notice the three-pointed star in its logo with a badge that says 190E. Definitely one of those rare sights in Bangladesh back in the 1990s and inarguably even rarer now. 

However, this is exactly what I experienced three decades later. As I was walking down a random street in Uttara one afternoon, I saw a pristine 190E pass me. This rare sighting – especially in this part of Dhaka – held me still in spectacular awe. I stopped in my tracks and stared until it vanished in the distance. 

A couple of days passed and I spotted the 190E again. This time, it was in a detailing shop named Auto Mania. Seeing the owner of the car sitting inside, I could not miss the opportunity to speak to him about the flawless classic. To my surprise, the owner of the Mercedes turned out to be Mohammad Ashraf, the owner of Auto Mania itself. 

"I waited a long time for a W201 Mercedes that was in drivable condition," Ashraf shared, "Eight months ago, I finally found one 190E in Chittagong, that too with updated papers and instantly went for it."

Turns out, Ashraf has been a fan of classic Mercedes ever since he was young. According to him, finding a Mercedes with a W201 chassis like the 190E wasn't too difficult but most of them were not in operational condition. Most have no documents or failed (outdated) documents. 

Besides, most of the vintage Mercedes that still function do not have their original engines anymore. Rather they've been replaced with Toyota engines.

Popping the hood, Ashraf revealed the biggest gem hiding inside his car– an original Mercedes 1997cc M102 engine that still functions with only 47,000 miles (75,640km) on the odometer. I went bonkers looking at it. I've been at several classic Mercedes meets and spotted several 190Es before but seeing one with a factory-fitted engine was a first for me. 

As he closed the hood, one of Ashraf's friends present there offered to take me on a drive in the 190E. 

The 190E was unlike any Mercedes that I've been in before. Modern Mercedes interiors are a mix of leather seats, fancy screens and ambient lighting. However, classics like this 190E used to come with unimaginably plush fabric seats.

Paired with that, this particular unit received burnished wooden trims used on the dash with a cassette player in the centre with a built-in radio. Ever heard of one of these before? 

It's as if the 190E just came out of a 90's Mercedes dealership. It's only when one notices the discoloured armrests that a hint of its age emerges. Most of the other interior bits, however, have successfully stood the test of time. 

Just like the immaculate interior, the original carburettor engine is still alive and responsive to the throttle. To top it off, this 190E also came with a fan-favourite manual transmission!

Despite the car's age, there was barely any cabin noise. Even if there was, no one seemed to be bothered. The 'back to the past' experience of what it would've been like to be part of an elite class of wealthy Bangladeshi businessmen from the 1990s overwhelmed the senses.  

As my dream drive ended and we returned to Auto Mania, I couldn't stop appreciating how well this classic Mercedes has been kept until now. 

"It wasn't easy to bring the car back to life," Ashraf replied, "given how old they are, spare parts are not only difficult to source, but also end up being more expensive at times compared to the latest models."

Moreover, from what I understood, given the car's age, most mechanics are usually as clueless as I was when I opened the hood of my father's Corolla at age five. But that didn't stop Ashraf from continuing his dream project.

Teaming up with several members of the car community here as well as abroad, he managed to bring the model back to its previous glory. He repainted the 190E with a beautiful shade of dark pearl blue with the final cherry on top being Auto Mania's signature ceramic coating.

Compared to Japanese cars from the 1990s, German cars are never known to stand the test of time. This didn't stop a passionate enthusiast like Ashraf from keeping the vintage models alive. 

His 190E currently looks almost like it has just been purchased from a Mercedes dealership. However, according to him, the 190E is far from being complete.

"I still have a few things left to do to the interior to finish the restoration process," he continued, "with that, I also plan to install air suspension in it, something never done on a 190E here in Bangladesh before."