HWA EVO.R Race Car Revealed For 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours With Three-Car Entry

There are race cars built to win. And then there are race cars built to settle unfinished business.

When HWA AG pulled the covers off the EVO.R, its dedicated competition variant of the road-going EVO super saloon, it was not just another GT hopeful lining up for a 24-hour grind. It was a homecoming. In 2026, the company will field three EVO.R entries at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, returning to the forest where its reputation was forged in noise, rain, and brake dust.

For those who know their touring car history, HWA is not a startup chasing headlines. Born from the competition arm of Mercedes’ most ferocious touring car programs, HWA’s fingerprints are all over the golden era of DTM. The silhouette that looms largest is the Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II DTM, a car that looked like it had been sketched with a ruler and a vendetta.

The EVO.R is a modern echo of that aggression.

EVO.R A Super Saloon With Something to Prove

The road-going HWA EVO already felt like a love letter to the homologation specials of the 1990s. Wide arches. Assertive aero. A stance that suggested it would rather be on slicks than street tires. But the EVO.R takes that template and turns the volume to eleven.

The first renders reveal a track-focused design that is unapologetically functional. The rear wing is no afterthought. The aero surfaces appear honed for stability at speed on the Nordschleife, where a car must dance over crests and compressions for hours on end. This is not about chasing lap time alone. It is about surviving the Green Hell at full song.

HWA confirmed the cars will run in the SP-X class, reserved for special vehicles that sit slightly outside conventional homologation boxes. In other words, this is where engineers get to stretch their legs.

Full technical specifications are still under wraps, but the program is already deep into the build phase, with testing set to begin at Portimão in Portugal before heading north to Germany. If you are going to challenge the Nürburgring, you do not show up unprepared.

Heritage, Not Nostalgia

If the shape hints at the past, the liveries make it explicit.

Each of the three EVO.R entries will carry updated homages to period DTM designs. Heritage sponsors, including Kärcher and SONAX, are returning, a detail that feels less like a branding exercise and more like a reunion tour with sharper teeth.

This is the kind of move that resonates with those who remember the thunder of 190E Evos trading paint in the early 1990s. It also signals something important. HWA understands that legacy is not about sticking a retro badge on a fender. It is about carrying forward the same competitive intent that made those cars icons in the first place.

Interest in the program has been strong enough that HWA expanded its entry from two cars to three. In endurance racing, that is no small commitment. It means more engineering hours, more logistics, more budget. It also means confidence.

Sons of Legends, and a Ring Master

The driver lineup reads like a motorsport family album.

Sebastian Asch and Luca Ludwig, sons of Roland Asch and Klaus Ludwig, both pillars of the original 190E Evo II DTM era, will strap into the EVO.R. There is something poetic about that. The same surnames that once defined an era of touring car combat will again chase lap times in a machine built in its image.

They will be joined by Markus Winkelhock, a three-time Nürburgring 24 Hours winner who knows every bump and blind apex of the Nordschleife. In a race where conditions can shift from sunshine to monsoon in a single lap, experience is currency.

It is a Pro Am lineup, but do not mistake that for anything less than serious. The Nürburgring 24 Hours is not kind to vanity projects. It rewards preparation, resilience, and drivers who can keep their head at 170 miles per hour in the dark.

The Ring as Second Home

HWA CEO Martin Marx described the Nürburgring as a second home, citing more than 25 years of top-level involvement at the circuit. That matters. The Ring has a long memory. It humbles newcomers. It respects those who commit.

For HWA, entering with a car bearing its own nameplate adds a layer of meaning. This is not a customer program or a rebadged effort. It is HWA stepping into the arena under its own banner, with a machine that ties directly back to its roots.

In an era when motorsport can sometimes feel sanitized and overly corporate, the EVO.R effort carries a whiff of the old days. Big wings. Big names. Big ambition.

The 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours will not be short on competition. It never is. But somewhere in the paddock, under lights and surrounded by fans who remember what those box flares once meant, three EVO.Rs will line up and wait for the green flag.

And when they launch into the forest, it will not just be another lap at the Ring. It will be a brand closing a circle that started decades ago with a four-door sedan, a towering rear wing, and the audacity to take on the world.

Quick Facts: 2026 HWA EVO.R Nürburgring Program

What is it?
The HWA EVO.R is the dedicated race variant of the road going HWA EVO super saloon.

Event:
Nürburgring 24 Hours

Team:
HWA AG

Class:
SP-X (Special Vehicles)

Number of Cars:
Three entries confirmed for 2026

Heritage Connection:
Inspired by the 1990s DTM era, including visual and technical DNA from the Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II DTM

Confirmed Drivers:
Sebastian Asch
Luca Ludwig
Markus Winkelhock

Testing Location:
Initial track testing begins at Portimão Circuit in Portugal

Sponsors Announced:
Kärcher
SONAX

FAQ: HWA EVO.R at the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours

What is the HWA EVO.R?

The HWA EVO.R is a bespoke racing version of the road going HWA EVO, engineered specifically for endurance competition and set to debut at the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours.

How many HWA EVO.R cars will compete in 2026?

HWA has expanded its program from two cars to three due to strong interest from drivers, sponsors, and customers.

What class will the HWA EVO.R race in?

The cars will compete in the SP-X class, which is reserved for special vehicles that fall outside traditional homologation categories.

Who are the confirmed drivers?

The lineup includes Sebastian Asch and Luca Ludwig, both sons of DTM legends, along with three time Nürburgring 24 Hours winner Markus Winkelhock.

What is the connection to DTM?

The EVO.R program draws direct inspiration from the iconic 1990s DTM era, particularly the Mercedes-Benz 190E Evolution II touring cars that helped define HWA’s motorsport legacy.

When will technical specifications be released?

Full performance and technical details are expected to be announced closer to the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours following initial testing and development.

Why is this program significant for HWA?

Although HWA has supported top level motorsport for decades, the EVO.R represents the company competing under its own nameplate at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, marking a major milestone in its evolution as an independent performance manufacturer.