1984 Mercedes-Benz 190E manual transmission turbo concept car by Callaway Cars

1984 Mercedes-Benz 190-Series Base Description

1984 "barn find" Callaway Cars concept Mercedes-Benz 190E, 2.3 8V, (not a Cosworth) 5 speed manual transmission, 7 psi IHI intercooled turbo system, Recaro seats upholstered in MB Tex & leather, BBS 15" RS wheels, BBS front bumper and side skirts, Bilstein suspension.
This was a joint venture between Callaway Cars, BBS, Recaro and Bilstein to display performance and styling modifications available for this model. It was published in Road & Track November, 1985 & I have a copy of that issue that comes with the car. There were other magazines that featured it, too, but I don't know which or when. I recently added it to the Callaway Cars registry & was very humbled to receive a reply from them. That speaks volumes about the company and it's founder, a genuine first class outfit.
It was purchased by a family friend around 1990 from Brumos in Jacksonville, Florida. It was daily driven for around 5 years until emission testing sidelined it's registration. (Florida had emission inspections for several years starting in the early 90's until 2000, when it was abolished) It was garaged from then until 2013 when I acquired it from him. It does not run and it's likely to need extensive work in order to be roadworthy. Callaway Cars decided not to offer it as a regular production model as they do the other models (Corvette, Camaro, trucks, etc) It has not been modified at all with the exception of an Alpine alarm installed in the glove box.