The poor Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 has been lost to time, buried in our memories by videos of e30 burnouts and images of Audi Quattros leaping rally-style over jumps. The time was the late 1970's and Benz wanted a high performance entry-level sedan to establish its cred in the DTM scene. Not having AMG in-house to do the tune, Mercedes tapped Cosworth to develop a car with a roadgoing homolgation version. The result was a a fast, confident sedan that set 12 international endurance records. Though overshadowed by the competition, this classic Mercedes could be a cheap pickup for someone willing to put the time into under-appreciated German muscle.

Currently, this 1987 version is available for under $5,000. The body looks to be in good condition and it is registered through the end of the year. The high number of miles (153,000) might scare us off, but we wouldn't consider this a daily-driver anyways. [eBay motors via Motive Forums]

Send an email to Matt Hardigree, the author of this post, at matt@jalopnik.com.