{{ $t('Summary') }}
The 190 SL was introduced in 1955 as an 'affordable alternative' to the 300 SL. Although the 190 SL shared technology with its much more expensive brother, it stood on a modified platform of the W121 sedan. Under the hood was a 1.9 litre four cylinder engine that produced 105bhp. Both the 190 SL and 300 SL found a successor in the 230 SL, which appeared in the mid-sixties. According to the factory its top speed was 171 km/h. This 1957 Mercedes 190 SL is a very beautiful example, which entered our country in 2010. This roadster underwent a complete renovation. It was given a new paint job, a completely new red leather interior. There was also a new black soft-top. The engine was replaced by an official Mercedes concession in 2015.
{{ $t('History') }}
This car was purchased by the current owner in 2016 since then it has always been stored dry in the man's private collection. Occasionally it is driven. The Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (W121) is a two-door luxury roadster produced by Mercedes-Benz between May 1955 and February 1963. Internally labelled the W121 (BII or B2), it was first shown as a prototype at the 1954 New York Motor Show. The 190 SL presented an attractive, more affordable alternative to the exclusive Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. It shared its design, engineering, detailing, and fully independent suspension. Both cars had double wishbones in the front and torsion axles in the rear. Instead of the 300 SL's expensive specially-built W198 tubular spaceframe, the 190SL R121 used the structure of shortened floor pan taken from the W121 sedan version.
{{ $t('Exterior') }}
The car was completely repainted in ivory colour. This paint is in very nice condition, as evidenced by the extensive photo gallery. There are no noticeable colour differences. All panels of the car fit well. There is no sign of rust or other damage. All chrome parts are also in excellent condition.
{{ $t('Interior') }}
The interior was also completely renovated. Everything is in working order. There are no abnormal damages. The bucket seats have been re-upholstered in red leather. The dashboard and door panels have also been reupholstered, and all carpets have been replaced. Equipment includes an original AM/FM Becker radio, lap belts, and a set of black mats. The white, two-spoke steering wheel has a chrome horn ring and houses a 210 km/h speedometer, a tachometer up to 7000 rpm and gauges for oil pressure, coolant temperature and fuel level. An analogue clock is mounted in the glove box, and the five-digit odometer reads 10229 kilometres.
{{ $t('Engine and Gearbox') }}
The 190 SL is powered by a new 104 hp (77 kW) Type M121BII 1.9 L four-cylinder in-line SOHC engine. Based on the six-cylinder in-line from 300 SL, it has an unchanged 85 mm bore and 4.3 mm reduced 83.6 mm stroke. Dual Solex carburettors were coupled to this. Power was sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission. In this 190 SL the engine was completely replaced in 2015 at the official Mercedes dealer in Bruges. The carburetors were replaced with new ones, the original ones are included with the sale. In the photo gallery you can find images of the new engine, as well as the original carburettors.
{{ $t('Maintenance info') }}
2020 Oil service.
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Documents supplied: Belgian registration certificate part 1 & 2, inspection certificate (green), certificate of conformity & Car-Pass.
{{ $t('Options') }}
The car was available as a soft-top convertible, initially priced at DM 16,500, or with a removable hard-top (DM 17,650). A small third-passenger cross seat was an option. During its early years, the 190 SL was available as a sport-racing model with a small perspex windscreen and spartan one-piece leather-trimmed bucket seats and aluminium doors. In 1959, the rear window of the hard-top was enlarged. Our example is equipped with soft-top and without 3rd crossover, with original Beckers radio.
{{ $t('Non original parts') }}
Carburettors are not original, original ones are included with the sale.
{{ $t('What we should know') }}
Mercedes-Benz did not announce what the abbreviation "SL" meant when the car was introduced. "Leicht" means either "easy" as an adverb or "light" as an adjective in German. As a definition of a car, it should mean "Light". It was often assumed that the letters stand for "Sport Leicht". A car magazine stated in 2012 that the abbreviation "SL" actually meant "Super Leicht". Mercedes-Benz used both forms until 2017. It was even called Super Super. On the company's website, it was called "Sport Leicht" until 2017 and then changed to "Super Leicht". For a long time, it was unclear what intention the company had at the time in assigning the letter combination. It was not until early 2017 that a chance find in the company archives, from early 1952, clarified that at least in the case of the 300 SL, the abbreviation SL stood for "Super-Leicht".
