Mercedes-Benz W121 190 SL 1st Series Production number 437 completely restored (1955)

Vehicle description

Model history:

In 1955, the public was able to admire the Mercedes-Benz 190 SL at the Geneva Motor Show. Unlike the 300 SL presented 1 year earlier, the 190 SL was not designed as a thoroughbred sports car, but as a sporty, elegant two-seater touring and utility vehicle. The shortened frame-floor system of the Type 180 with the familiar single-joint swing axle served as the chassis. The 190 SL was powered by a newly developed four-cylinder engine with 1.9-liter displacement, overhead camshaft and 105 hp. This enabled it to reach a top speed of over 170 km/h. In the years from 1955 to 1963 Mercedes-Benz built nearly 26,000 copies of the 190 SL.

General information about the vehicle:

A Mercedes-Benz 190 SL from first registration in 1955, which carries the chassis number 1210435500437 and was imported from the USA, can now be acquired in this auction. According to the seller, this Mercedes-Benz, which was fully restored in 2015-2017 at the Oldtimer Studio in Bucharest, has only 1 owner. To a large extent, the restoration work has been documented and the mileage of the 190 SL can be approximated after consultation with the seller. Matching numbers are given and the MOT shows a validity until April 2023. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that the Mercedes-Benz already has an H license plate.

Exterior color/paint/body:

Due to the fact that this 190 SL, here in red, according to the seller, comes from the first series, it does not yet have the chrome trim on the so-called lancets. A complete painting of the body took place during the restoration work in the Oldtimer Studio in Bucharest. The seller can confirm that the car is accident-free. Modifications deviating from the original condition can obviously not be found on the body, all chrome trim elements on the Mercedes-Benz still show in full shine and the black soft top does not show any cracks.

exact condition of this 190 SL you can see in the meaningful photos.

Exterior Rims/Brakes/Chassis:

Tires is this 190 SL with tires of the brand Uniroyal in the dimension 175 R13. After consultation with the seller, he states that the condition of tires, brakes and chassis are as new and no inconsistencies in these areas can be mentioned. It should be mentioned that in terms of driving safety, the front brakes were changed to fixed caliper brakes, as the original brakes on the front axle are simply not safe to drive in today's traffic conditions, according to the seller. As rims, the 190 SL wears steel rims painted in body color, on which chrome hubcaps with Mercedes-Benz star are embossed.

Interior:

Neat hand in the course of the restoration work, which took place from 2015-2017, was apparently also in the interior of the 190 SL. The interior is adorned with black leather seats, an ivory 2-spoke steering wheel and a dashboard in body color. Due to the fact that this car is from the first series, it does not have a clock in the interior - this came later to the equipment of the 190 SL. In order to get a detailed impression of the interior as well as the available equipment elements, we recommend to watch the attached videos of the Mercedes-Benz in addition to the meaningful series of pictures.

Mileage:

The dashboard of the 190 SL is related to the 300 SL (Gullwing): Left rev counter, right speedometer, below 3 additional instruments. 335 kilometers are currently on the speedometer of the car - this represents the mileage after completion of the restoration work. All instruments and gauges in the interior of the Mercedes-Benz Roadster work without any problems.

Engine:

105 hp is produced by the OHC four-cylinder, which has a displacement of 1.9 liters and a Solex two-carburetor system. A fully synchronized 4-speed manual transmission sends the 190 SL's power to the rear wheels. The seller lets mention that a last service took place in 2021 and an electric fuel pump is installed in the car to reduce the sporty appearance at cold start - however, the original (mechanical) pump shows up still installed in the car in such a way that it is not included in the circuit.

Underbody:

The seller certifies the underside of this Mercedes-Benz to be rust-free as well as sealed condition without any inconsistencies

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According to the current owner, this 190 SL is manufacturer number 437 of the first series and the roadster is only being sold because the owner is going abroad and he is also too tall for the vehicle. Considering the complete rebuild of this 190 SL carried out in 2015-2017 by the Oldtimer Studio in Bucharest, the condition of the car is convincing all along the line.

Vehicle videos

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