Mercedes E-class
Mercedes invested more than £600 million from January 1974 to January 1982 in the research and development of the W201, which they later acknowledged as being excessively engineered. Testing of early prototypes began in 1978 after final styling was approved on 6 March 1979. The first prototypes based on this design were tested later that same year, and pilot production commenced in February 1982 following engineering approval. The W201-based 190 was officially unveiled on 8 December 1982 and launched in Germany the following day. It became available in right-hand drive for the UK market starting from September 1983.
Reference Link:
- “New cars: Mercedes 190”. Motorsportmagazine.com. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2021.