Versatility, Vitality, Soul
Exploring The Virtues of Euro Sports Sedans
STORY | CHRIS SEELY
Photography | BLAINE BECKER EFAW
For decades, the sports sedan has been the calling card of the humble yet passionate car enthusiast. While the elite fill their garages with extravagant roadsters and luxurious SUVs, the most authentic car lovers appreciate all the functionalities of the automobile. These enthusiasts don’t seek out one car for every day of the week. Instead, they look for a multitool that can serve as a fun and exotic racer on the weekend and a comfortable, practical family hauler during regular business hours.
While coming in all shapes and sizes, the best of these cars all follow a similar recipe: a balanced chassis, engaging controls, exotic looks, and a beautifully crafted motor. As time moves on, however, the sports sedan itself is changing. Cars are getting big and heavy, numb to drive, and lack the characteristics so many enthusiasts crave. To reset and remind ourselves of what a sports sedan should be, this article covers three of the best ever made and what makes them so great: the BMW E30, the Mercedes 190e Cosworth, and the Alfa Romeo GTV6.
BMW 3 SERIES (E30): VERSATILITY
The E30 is a classic car that every enthusiast should own at some point. It epitomizes vintage BMWs and lives up to the slogan “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” What makes the E30 so great can be summarized in one word: versatility. The E30 is a true all-rounder. Yes, it feels robust and has room in the back for your kids, but beyond that, it’s a platform that can easily be sculpted to the owner’s liking.
If you want an elegant weekend classic, keep it stock. If you like it rowdy, a few suspension upgrades can turn it into a spec racer. If you want to go the other way, the E30 makes a fantastic rally car. Regardless of the setting, the E30 handles beautifully with confident steering, excellent pedal feel, and satisfying shifting feedback. It’s the perfect platform for anything you could ever want from a car.
Building your dream E30 is like making a steak and cheese sandwich from filet mignon and Vermont cheddar—it’s easy to perfect because the best ingredients are already on the plate. Curtis Craeger’s E30, featured in this article, is an example of how good this recipe can be. His 1988 325is was rebuilt for both day use and track duties, featuring custom Recaro seats, a stiff and low suspension, E36 M3 brakes and hubs, and a stroked 2.9-liter M20. As a driving instructor, his car is driven hard. It is built to do it all, and it does it all well.
“E30s are great to drive. They are well-balanced and comfortable at the limit,” Curtis said during our photoshoot. “In the early ‘90s, I worked at Bellevue BMW and remember driving a black BMW 325is. At that point, I hadn’t driven many cars, but I immediately knew I wanted to own one someday.”
THE MERCEDES-BENZ 190E COSWORTH: VITALITY
In the German sedan market, the BMW E30 had only one true competitor: the Mercedes 190E. Similar to the E30, the 190E came in many variants, but the one to have is the kick-in-the-pants, Cosworth-powered homologation racer. The 190E Cosworth is literally a race car for the road, and as an enthusiast sports sedan, this is what makes it a legend.
Compared to a standard 190E, everything in the Cosworth has been turned up a notch. The motor breathes through a sixteen-valve head, the suspension is stiff with a custom five-link setup in the rear, the brakes are bigger, the steering is tighter, and the transmission even features close ratios and a dog-leg pattern. For the 1980s, this was about as close as you could come to buying a street-legal race car because that’s essentially what it was.
Mercedes designed the 190E Cosworth with the intent of entering the rally scene. However, when the Audi Quattro started the all-wheel-drive revolution, Mercedes quickly dropped its plans, and the 190E became a successful DTM car instead. The version we see on the road today is a beefed-up homologation car released to the public to meet rally production requirements.
Nobody knows these cars better than Chris Benny, owner of Prova Motorsports in Seattle. Chris has built his career working on the finest European cars. His shop services Alfa Romeos, BMWs, Porsches, Ferraris, and Lancias, but out of all these options, Chris’s personal car is a 190E Cosworth.
“It’s really fun to drive in anger. You drive it in the top half of the motor—it’s a little buzzy, but it has a solid, bank-vault feeling. The rear end is really lively but predictable at the limit,” Chris shared. Sure, sports sedans should be somewhat civilized, but the vitality of a 190E shows that a sports sedan should be refined while making you feel alive.
THE ALFA ROMEO GTV6: SOUL
The GTV6 is either the prettiest or ugliest car of the bunch, depending on who you ask. Technically, it’s a hatchback, but considering Alfa Romeo practically invented the sports sedan with the original Giulia, we’ll let it slide.
The greatness of the GTV6 isn’t shown in its production numbers, specs, or stature. It isn’t as easy to live with as a BMW—it’s temperamental and ergonomically awkward. But what it lacks in ease of use, it makes up for in character. While most companies design cars for the average Joe, Alfa Romeo clearly designed the GTV6 for the eccentric and passionate.
The beating heart of the GTV6 is Alfa Romeo’s Busso V6, a motor that James May and Jeremy Clarkson have both deemed one of the best engines ever made. In the rear, it uses a transaxle gearbox and inboard disc brakes to keep the weight balanced, although the driveshaft spins unprotected at engine speed, and the second-gear synchro may as well have never been installed. It takes time to figure out, but it loves to be driven and admired.
As a driver, it’s easy to develop a true connection with the car—the drum of the Busso V6 pulsing through the firewall, and its humpback stature deeming you part of the scenery as you drive along. The GTV6 feels like the joy of a hand-rolled cigarette and espresso or a glass of wine with lunch. By the definition of a car, it’s far from the best, but it has a strong sense of self and radiates unapologetic soul.
These three cars come from the same era and were built to serve the same purpose, yet each has achieved legendary status in its own unique way. Together, they remind us of the qualities that car enthusiasts strive for in their everyday lives. Whether you seek the versatility of an E30, the vitality of a 190E, or the soul of a GTV6, each of these vehicles is eager to be driven daily and promises a unique, unforgettable experience that deserves to be cherished for years to come.
