STYLE AND GRACE: The 1959 Mercedes-Benz 190SL Roadster
August 14, 2019
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
Written by independent automotive journalist Dave Neyens
This 1959 Mercedes-Benz 190SL Roadster headed to the 2019 Las Vegas Auction with No Reserve is a wonderfully presented example of the sophisticated and highly enjoyable classic touring car.
Overshadowed by the mighty 300SL for most of its existence, the Mercedes-Benz 190SL roadster now enjoys a strong collector following and fast-rising demand in today’s collector-car market. While outwardly similar to its race-derived stablemate, the 190SL is far more than just an attractive sports-tourer with its sophisticated engineering, excellent design and legendary construction quality. Heritage is outstanding, with the 190SL conceived by the pioneering U.S. Mercedes-Benz and European-car importer Max Hoffman, as a less complex and expensive sporting companion model to the roadgoing 300SL “Gullwing” – also his brainchild.
First introduced to eager American buyers at the influential 1954 New York International Motor Sport Show alongside the 300SL, the 190SL echoed the adventurous basic styling of the open 300SL racers of 1952 and rode the same wheelbase as its “big brother” with a wider track. Sharing its unitized body and chassis structure with the new-for-1953 Mercedes-Benz 180, the 190SL remains famous for its solidity and substance. A low, wide grille, sleek bodylines, beautifully trimmed interior with roll-up windows and an available aluminum hardtop left no doubt the 190SL was a proper Mercedes-Benz. Its “SL” (Sports Light) model suffix denoting a more sporting character, the 190SL was equipped with lightweight aluminum for the hood, doors and rear decklid.
Powering the 190SL was a SOHC 1.9-liter “four” with twin Solex carburetors and competition-type, dry-sump lubrication producing 105 to 110 horsepower, depending on the source quoted. Other highlights included a 4-speed manual gearbox and 4-wheel, power-assisted “Alfin” finned-aluminum drum brakes. Fully independent suspension included front wishbones and coil springs with rear swing axles harnessed by a compensator spring for sporting, yet predictable, handling characteristics. Performance was quite good, with the touring-oriented 190SL delivering 0-60 acceleration in about 13 seconds and top speeds nearing 120 mph.
The production-ready 190SL debuted at the 1955 Geneva show and customer deliveries soon followed. A hit from launch, the 190SL earned design awards in Holland, Switzerland and France’s Grand Prix d’Elegance. While intended as a stylish grand tourer without racing pretensions, the 190SL was highly effective in competition with factory support and technical expertise readily supplied to preferred Mercedes-Benz dealers and private clients. According to marque experts, an estimated 17 racing versions of the 190SL were (theoretically) built, but no survivors are known today.
Confirming Max Hoffman’s keen sense of American car buyers and their tastes, the 190SL went on to outsell the 300SL – coupe and roadster combined – by a factor of eight to one. In all, Mercedes-Benz produced 25,881 examples of the 190SL from 1955 to 1963. Its commercial success encouraged Mercedes’ subsequent single-platform policy for its sports cars, one that started with its successor, the 230SL.
Virtually all the top personalities and stars of the 1950s and 1960s favored the 190SL as their vehicle of choice; among them were screen icons Grace Kelly, Gina Lollobrigida, Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner. The affluent, Continental flair of the 190SL assured its movie, TV and music-video use long after production ended, with dozens of screen credits that included the 1956 film “High Society” with Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra, The Doors’ 1971 “L.A. Woman” concept music video, and 1970s TV hits “Starsky and Hutch” and “The Rockford Files.” More recently, celebrity owners of the 190SL have included Ringo Starr of The Beatles and Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow.
The classic 1959 Mercedes-Benz 190SL roadster shown here will be offered at the upcoming Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas Auction and marks a wonderfully presented example of these sophisticated and highly enjoyable classic touring cars. Finished in iconic Silver and complemented by a new convertible top, it features a new leather interior, new and correct square-weave carpeting and the factory hardtop. Clearly benefiting from climate-controlled garage storage, it is powered by a SOHC 1.9-liter 4-cylinder engine mated to a 4-speed manual transmission. Just 57,200 original miles from new are indicated. To be offered at No Reserve, this 190SL will provide an exceptional opportunity to own and, above all, enjoy one of the most glamorous, user-friendly and capable postwar sports cars ever produced.
For up-to-date information on this vehicle, click HERE. For a look at the 2019 Las Vegas Preview Docket, with more vehicles being added daily, click HERE.