Mercedes-Benz 190 SL Roadster 1.9L Manual

1960 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL Roadster 1.9L Manual. Finished in Fire Engine Red with cream interior, a striking combination as you can see from the photos. The car is Swedish sold and the odometer shows 83287km. Chassis number 12104210015332. The red paintwork is brilliantly bright and deep, with an interior in equally fine state. The car has been restored at some point in its life, we are attempting to ascertain when and also obtain paperwork and service history information.

Produced between May 1955 and February 1963, the 190SL W121 owes its existence to influential European car importer and then Mercedes-Benz representative Max Hoffman, who envisioned a luxurious, more lifestyle oriented (and importantly more affordable) version of the powerful 300SL sports car. Borrowing from its bigger brothers iconic curves and dramatic lines, the 190 SL possesses a beautiful form deserving of longing gazes – it really is a car you could pull up a chair in front of and drink in from a multitude of angles. As well as following it’s bigger brothers form the 190 SL also benefits from the same fully independent suspension, sharing a double wishbones setup up front and swing axles at the rear, making it as good to drive as it is to look at. In the early years of production Mercedes-Benz actually created a sports-racing version which confirmed the cars performance ability. It featured small perspex windscreen and spartan one-piece leather covered bucket seats and aluminium doors.

A 4 speed speed manual was mated to a 1.9 litre inline 4 cylinder producing a peppy 110HP, and this interestingly shared the same bore and stroke as the original six-cylinder found in the 300 SL. The engine setup featured twin Solex downdraft carburetors and that 110bhp output saw the car hit 100km/h in 13 seconds.mInside occupants sit amongst sumptuous cream surrounds, accented by a Fire Engine Red dashboard bringing a streak of that bold tone inside. It carries chrome VDO dials and Bakelite switches, a Bakelite steering wheel, a period correct push button radio and a Blaupunkt speaker sits beneath.

The 190 SL is regarded as a highly collectible car and in such original and fine mechanical form this particular example will make a great asset for a collection or a wonderful top-down summer time classic.