FCP Euro's Golden Era Project Brings Back Classic DTM With a Modern Drivetrain

With a 400-hp turbo four and a six-speed manual, Golden Era is vintage DTM, but better.

People love to talk about things having a “Golden Era.” Hondas have one, so do BMWs. Racing definitely does, with the 1990s serving as one for Formula 1 and, of course, the mid-’80s to early-’90s for DTM or, as it’s more officially known, “Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.” For some reason, those boxy German sedans banging around on Europe’s coolest tracks have captured and held on to the hearts of car enthusiasts worldwide.

Of course, cars made popular by the DTM series, like the BMW E30 M3 and the Mercedes-Benz 190e Cosworth, are worth serious money these days, especially the wilder, more hardcore Evo versions. That’s why the Golden Era project by our pals at FCP Euro is so cool. They’ve taken a bone-stock Baby Benz with a wheezy inline-six and turned it into a fire-breathing throwback with a modern AMG drivetrain. Even better, they documented the whole process on video.

Read more

• These Are Your Guilty Pleasure Cars

• The 15 Most Successful Formula 1 Cars of All Time

• These Cars Should Never Have Been Killed Off

The Golden Era Project

So, for the TL; DW crowd, the FCP Euro Golden Era project started life as a basic commuter-spec Mercedes-Benz 190e 2.6 from California. The team promptly gutted it, yanked the old engine and automatic gearbox, and replaced it with the M133 turbo four-cylinder from the GLA 45 hot hatch. This engine never came in a rear-wheel drive layout, nor was it ever offered with a manual transmission, but the team at FCP found that by using parts from the Mercedes parts bin, they could adapt the engine to their needs with surprising ease.