It was a race that would become the stuff of legends. A race that would finally allow adoring Formula 1 fans to see who the fastest driver in identical machinery. A race that started as a clever marketing idea to promote the newly revamped Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit, as well as the Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16. It was, if you believe the rumours, a race that a young Ayrton Senna wasn’t even supposed to be competing in, but as Emerson Fittipaldi had double booked and chose to take part in Pole Day at the Indy 500, the seat was opened to compatriot Senna to fill the gap. Senna didn’t just fill the gap or make up the numbers, he drove the Cosworth-powered saloon like he had indeed stolen it directly from Fittipaldi, qualifying third-fastest behind polesitter Alain Prost Carlos Reutemann. Come the race itself, Senna would need just 12 laps to come out victorious, dancing the 190 E over un-rubbered in asphalt, as well as rainy conditions, all while holding Niki Lauda at bay. He crossed the line to not only win the respect of past, present and future F1 champions, but securing his name in motorsport history. As we all know, this wasn’t to be his one and only defining moment in motorsport.
But enough of that well-documented day, this is a baby Benz that holds arguably a far more personal connection to the Brazilian. A car that is now set to find a new home at it heads to RM Sotheby’s upcoming sale in London on November 1st. Purchasing this very car for own personal pleasure, reportedly albeit with a friendly discount, Ayrton Senna organised to take delivery in October 1985. Rather than a brief handover at the local showroom, Senna would make the pilgrimage to the Mercedes-Benz factory to collect the car, where he returned to his residence in Surrey alongside compatriot Maurício Gugelmin.
For the two years that followed, Ayrton Senna would enjoy his Mercedes-Benz all over the UK, racking up some 24,862 miles noted on the last service invoice before the Mercedes-Benz was reluctantly sold. We’d love to imagine the sales advert Senna listed in the back of car magazines and newspapers here. “One careful owner from new, never taken above 4,000rpm.” As well as the utter shock on the face of whoever enquired to purchase the car, only to arrive and see Senna’s piecing stare and open-collared shirt. Sadly, out dreams of finding such for sale ads won’t come true, as the 190 E was acquired by Robin Clark in November 1987, who was a friend of Senna’s manager Julian Jakobi. It is believed the sale of the car was made in anticipation of Senna signing to race for McLaren, which would result in him moving from the UK to Monaco, no doubt followed by a decent upgrade on the daily driver.
By the year 1996, the 2.3-16 would find another new custodian, one that would retain the car until today. It had seen many adventures, spending much of its time in Down Under, where it was shipped when the owner emigrated to Australia in 2004. Meticulously maintained while enjoying the sunshine, the car would rack up an impressive 130,000 miles, bringing the total mileage to 154,302 miles at the time of cataloguing.
Without being too whimsical, the Mercedes-Benz 190 E possesses a certain duality to Senna as a human. An outwardly humble four-door saloon at first glance, devoid of outrageous styling and drama, and yet under its skin, a masterpiece of over-engineering. Much like Senna himself, publicly composed but fiercely competitive, and a believer beyond any reasonable doubt that he was the greatest to ever get behind the wheel. While we all adore the iconic machines he drove at, and sometimes over the limit on the racetrack, it is the car he took solace in that somehow gets us more excited. With an estimate of £225,000 to £250,000, we’ll be keeping a close eye on this one!
London, 1 Nov
