One to Buy: 1 Lady Owner until 2018 Light Green 1959 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL
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Few cars sum up the glamour of 1950s motoring better than Mercedes’ 190 SL which was unveiled in production-ready trim at the Geneva Motor Show during March 1955.
Conceived as a less expensive, more practical, but no less stylish open-bodied counterpart to the spectacular Gullwing-doored 300 SL Coupe, the gorgeous little 190 opened the world of Sport Leicht motoring up to a far wider audience and proved a massive commercial hit.
Unlike the 300 SL (which came with a tubular spaceframe chassis), the 190 SL was based upon a modified and shortened unitary steel floorpan derived from the W121 Ponton. Suspension was via double wishbones up front and a swing axle at the rear with telescopic coil springs fitted all round.
In the engine bay was a brand new 1.9-litre inline four cylinder engine that developed 105bhp at 5700rpm and 105lb-ft 3200rpm. Transmission was through a four-speed manual gearbox.
By the time production ended in February 1963, a little under 26,000 examples of the baby SL had been completed, one of the most fascinating of which will be going under the hammer at Artcurial’s Paris ale on June 17th.
Configured in the rarely seen colour scheme of Light Green paint with Green leather upholstery and a matching Green soft top, chassis 121.042-8.502.568 was purchased new in Caracas, Venezuela, during March 1959. The buyer, a 25 year-old American lady, then took the car with her when she relocated to California in 1961 and retained it until her death in 2018.
Having obviously been cherished since new, this handsome triple green 190 SL currently shows a little over 89,000km and is accompanied by its original book pack. In addition, the car (which appears to have been repainted back in the early 1980s) comes with a whole raft of fascinating period paperwork and vintage photographs.
