The battle for supremacy in the premium segment was moved from showrooms to the race-tracks. In 1984, Mercedes-Benz worked closely with Cosworth engineering to develop a special vehicle: the 190 2.3-16V. In the late '70s, Mercedes-Benz was involved in rally racing with its SLC model, which was equipped with a V8 engine. But the 190 was ready to be launched and the German car-manufacture wished to introduce that new version into Rallye-world. But in 1979 Audi showed-up with its S1 Quattro model that changed the perspective. Mercedes-Benz management understood that its car won't be able to compete against the all-wheel-drive weapon from Audi. So, it turned its attention toward the new Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft which was announced to starts its inaugural season in 1984. To enter the tournament, a car-manufacturer had to have a production version of the race-version and it had to be produced in at least 5000 units. Mercedes-Benz took the gamble, called the Cosworth race engineers, and offered them a job to make a race-car out of the Mercedes-Benz 190. The result exceeded expectations. The British engineering company worked on the 2.3-liter inline-four engine of the Mercedes 190 model and installed a new, 16-valves cylinder head. With some more adjustments and works, the final product featured the desired power to compete. The series version featured a special aerodynamic package to make the care more appealing for the customers. The car was quickly out of stock, despite all the predictions from the sales department. On the track, the new 190 model started to win races, increasing the popularity of the 190-model. After their main rival, BMW, introduced the M3 in 1987 in the same competition, Mercedes offered new evolution on the market, with larger displacement engines. But the 190 2.3-16 remained a milestone in the Mercedes-Benz motorsport heritage.