Streetwalking- Mercedes 190SL

While it’s not located at my favorite road-side used car lot, this buttercup-yellow Mercedes Benz 190SL does sport a For Sale sign in its plastic back window. The car was parked in front of the neighborhood Land Rover repair business, and as most everything around there was closed for the day, I assumed it had been parked there in advertisement of its offering, a no-no within that particular municipality.

The only info on the sign was a phone number – no year or litany of recent updating, nor even a price. The car itself is in pretty nice original shape with some hazing and pocking in the chrome, and a decent-quality respray. Underneath it’s equally clean, and two of the major rust areas – the trailing arm mounts and the eybrows – appear clear of the tin worm. The 190SL was built between 1955 and 1963, and based on the gas pedal, tail lamps and rear bumper-mounted license plate lights, this one appears to be a 1957.

So what else is there to be said about it? The 190SL looks like a baby brother to the fire-breathing 300SL, and that’s exactly what it is. Eschewing the 300’s tube chassis for a modified W121 platform, the 190’s 1,897-cc four also offered less than half the big car’s horsepower at only 105. It also never came with the 300’s gull-wing doors, and the coupe version provides easier egress because of that.

But even at only 2,550-lbs, those few ponies make for more leisurely touring, which is what the little SL’s suspension – double wishbones up front, swing axle with lateral locators in back – is set up for. It’s very much a four cylinder German Thunderbird, although lacking the two-seat bird’s optional engines for more get up and go.

With an original price of around four grand, these cars were not cheap to begin with, and these days cars in this kind of shape are commanding upwards of fifty grand. That’s a lot of bank, but no where near what the similarly styled 300SL commands, so you can get the look without emptying your wallet with the little car.

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  1. Alff Avatar

    These cars have appreciated at least as quickly as their larger bretheren. 15 years ago, this should have cost you no more than $15K. I considered buying one, a solid runner but with a bit o' rust, for just under 10.

  2. Tomsk Avatar

    Dad and I drove by this on Saturday. Neither of us is a huge fan of the 190SL, but modern suspension and brakes plus the Cosworth-headed 2.3/dogleg 5-speed from the 190E 2.3-16 would make for a neat little runabout if you ask me.

  3. scroggzilla Avatar

    I approve of your theoretical restomodding.

  4. Tripl3fast Avatar

    The matching steering wheel club is a nice touch. They are usually bright red or orange.

  5. Peter Tanshanomi Avatar
    Peter Tanshanomi

    Am I the only one who sees a lot of Karmann Ghia in this?

  6. AteUpWithMotor Avatar
    AteUpWithMotor

    The problem is that while they're not as desirable as a 300SL, they cost almost as much to restore. If you don't get a good one and take excellent care of it, it's very easy to lose your shirt on it.

  7. AteUpWithMotor Avatar
    AteUpWithMotor

    In a broad sense, yeah — the shape of the front fenders, mainly. Scaling down the lines of the 300SL makes it look rounder and puffier, which adds to the resemblance to the early Karmann-Ghias, with the drooping headlights.
    Obligatory plug for 190SL history:http://ateupwithmotor.com/sports-cars-and-muscle-

  8. AteUpWithMotor Avatar
    AteUpWithMotor

    The problem is that while they're not as desirable as 300SL, they cost nearly as much to restore. If you don't get a good one and keep it in pristine condition, the likelihood of losing a lot of money is pretty high.

  9. Tim Odell Avatar
    Tim Odell

    Our parts supplier Jack has a 190e that he's parting out.

  10. muthalovin Avatar

    "While you guys are respraying, do you think you could do this as well?"
    God, The Club has really stuck around, hasn't it?

  11. Irish Rover Avatar
    Irish Rover

    ah, Huntington Service Center, the bane of any rover enthusiast's existence. Granted, those guys could build a series rover simply from parts while blindfolded and hanging upside-down under water, but dang if they're not rivet-counting curmudgeons. I once had them do a complete service on the hydraulic system of my '67 NADA 6cyl 109 rover, and the weren't too excited. The told me to turn it into a large flower bed because they were so upset by it's slight non-stock modifications over the years. Needless to say, since that time I've taken to doing ALL the work on my rovers. It's just not worth the headache of dealing with folks who can't be arsed to do work you're trying to pay them (well!) to do.

  12. Peter Tanshanomi Avatar
    Peter Tanshanomi

    Still put on the Town Cow every night.