This Mercedes ‘Baby-Benz’ 190 may look cute, but it harbors a V12 inside!

The Mercedes 190 (W201) came out in 1984 and immediately earned the unflattering nickname ‘Baby-Benz’ – both for the tame looks and the meager 90 hp (67 kW) under the hood. Several decades later, someone goes ahead and stuffs it with a 600 CL V12!

Naturally, fitting a massive six-liter V12 sourced from a Mercedes CL 600 under the hood of the car that used to make do with a I4 2.0 proved a nearly insurmountable challenge. Planning the layout of the engine bay alone took six months! The cooling proved the single most difficult part to implement properly, and the tuner even had to make air slits in the headlights to get as much of it as possible.

However, the project was ultimately a success, landing the otherwise unassuming four-door sedan with 424 hp (316 kW) and 585 Nm (431 lb-ft) of torque. Upgraded like this, the car zaps from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in three seconds flat, hits 200 km/h (124 mph) in another 11 seconds, and reportedly maxes out at 350 km/h (217 mph), which puts it on par with the Lamborghini Aventador S (we cannot prove it).

Other details of the project are no less impressive. For instance, the five-speed auto gearbox and the alloy wheels also stem from the CL 600, while BMW E36 unexpectedly provides the suspension. Watch the video and prepare to be shocked!