The small Romanian sedan returns to compete in the most challenging long-duration race on the planet and won over the public
The 2026 edition of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring marked the debut of driver Max Verstappen in the competition and was the first in history to sell out tickets. But who took all the spotlight was a simple first-generation Dacia Logan.
The German team Ollis Garage Racing has been participating in the competition with a Logan since 2021. In 2026, the Romanian sedan was in 107th position and completed 92 laps. He was ahead of two Hyundai Elantra N1 and a Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.
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Logan ended up becoming the darling of the public during the race and starred in exciting moments: he spun in the Karrusell, suffered a penalty for exceeding speed under a yellow flag, received a blow from Max Verstappen and even lost a wheel.
The incident with the front wheel almost forced the car to retire from the race. He was towed to the pits and the team was able to restore the front suspension, putting Logan back in the race.
At the end of the 24 hours he managed to finish the race, unlike Verstappen’s car that had to abandon it due to problems with the gimbal. The Logan honored the reputation of being a rugged car that it built on the streets.
The model used by Ollis Garage Racing began life as a racing car, it was a model used in the Logan Cup. This competition used the weight-relieved Romanian sedan and the original 1.6 16v engine.
To race at the Nürburgring he received a 2.0 16v from Megane, the F4R. In 2021 it was aspirated and had 165 hp, now in 2026 it is already turbocharged and with 280 hp. The fastest lap was 10:22.613.
In 2026, the list of unusual cars also featured three Mercedes-Benz 190E. But they were not ordinary versions of the German sedan, but the HWA EVO.R.
This racing version of the 190E reimagined by HWA has little in common with the conventional model of the 80s. It uses a body made of carbon fiber and with the front axle shifted forward, leaving the engine in a center-front position.
Under the hood is a modern twin-turbo V6 from Mercedes-Benz, which in the racing version can produce 500 to 560 hp depending on the set-up. The gearbox is a six-speed sequential gearbox and all track car features such as a built-in pneumatic jack, adjustable suspension and roll cage have been installed.
HWA will produce 15 units of this version of the EVO. A, these three that raced at the Nürburgring served to publicize the model. One of the cars came in 48th position, mixed between the GT3 and GT4 cars. The other cars were 72nd and 98th.
