Only two owners from new
1959 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL Convertible

Footnotes

"It proved to be fast and tireless, exhilarating to drive and was probably created with long distance, comfortable travel in mind..." - Autocar on the Mercedes-Benz 190 SL, 10th January 1956.

For those insufficiently wealthy to afford its hyper-expensive race-bred sports car - the 300 SL - Mercedes-Benz offered the less exotic but no less refined 190 SL. Announced in 1954 and based on the 180 saloon whose all-independently-suspended running gear it used, the 190 SL did not enter production until January 1955, the delay being caused by alterations aimed at strengthening the saloon's shortened platform to compensate for the open body's reduced stiffness.

"Very few new sports cars have been so eagerly awaited or so long in coming as the moderately priced SL version of the Mercedes-Benz," observed Road & Track magazine. Mounted on a detachable sub-frame along with the four-speed manual gearbox, front suspension and steering, the power unit was a 1,897cc overhead-camshaft four - the first such engine ever to feature in a Mercedes-Benz. Breathing through twin Solex downdraft carburettors, the M121 unit produced 105bhp DIN (120bhp SAE) at 5,700rpm, an output sufficient to propel the 190 SL to 100km/h in 14.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 171km/h. With its four-speed, all-synchromesh gearbox, servo-assisted hydraulic drum brakes and fully independent suspension, the 190 SL was both more refined and more comfortable than any contemporary British sports car. The model was a big hit in the USA where many of the slightly fewer than 26,000 produced between 1955 and 1963 found homes.

Delivered new finished in Blaugrau (blue-grey), this matching-numbers Mercedes-Benz 190 SL Convertible was formerly resident in the USA and comes with a State of Texas Certificate of Title. The vendor advises us that he purchased the car from its first owner. Between 2017 and 2022, the Mercedes was restored to a very high standard by Klassik-Garage-Kronberg in Germany, whose invoices on file total more than €160,000. The car also comes with an owner's manual; copy of the Fahrzeugdaten (datacard); a list of components and an appraisal relating to its restoration in Germany between 2017 and 2022; and a second set of keys. The file relating to the restoration comes with it also. All EU import taxes have been paid. Worthy of the closest inspection, this outstanding Mercedes-Benz 190 SL is surely one of the best currently on the market.