Mercedes-Benz 190SL Roadster

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Launched in 1955, the Mercedes-Benz 190SL was a beautifully refined cruiser aimed at the mere mortals who could not afford its hyper-expensive race-bred sibling, the mighty 300SL which it closely resembled.

Sharing the same wheelbase as the 300, it also had similar double wishbone suspension at the front and swing axles at the rear. However, the 190 did not use the 300's purpose-built tubular spaceframe platform, but was instead built on the shortened monocoque platform of the 180 saloon, with aluminium doors, bonnet and boot-lid to save weight.

Power came from an all-new 1.9-litre overhead-cam straight-four producing around 110bhp that combined 100+mph performance with 25-30mpg economy. With a four-speed manual synchromesh gearbox, servo-assisted hydraulic drum brakes and excellent handling, the car was in a league of its own when it came to refinement and build quality, a 1955 test by ‘Road & Track’ stating: “The outstanding achievement of the 190SL its quality in design and workmanship but a close second is the general feeling of solidity which it immediately conveys”.

Even today, a well-sorted example is one of those rare classics that you could hop into and drive to the heel of Italy with no fear of getting stranded on the way. In total 25,881 examples were made before production came to an end in 1963, of which fewer than 1,500 were right-hand drive and only a third of these were for the UK market making this car a very rare beast indeed.

Little is known of the early history of the car but it originally had the Hertfordshire-issued registration number 2202 JH which appears to have been lost when it moved to Ireland in the 1990s although this number has never been allocated to another vehicle so the new owner could probably retrieve it from DVLA if they so desired. Records on file indicate that the body was restored in 1976 and that the engine was rebuilt in 1984 although the odometer stuck on 33,794 miles at around this time so it is impossible to know how many miles it has covered since.

The vendor acquired the car from the Classic & Sportscar Centre in 2009 who treated it to a good service, a new radiator, new water pump, waxoil treatment and interior re-Connolisation before he took delivery. During his 10-year ownership the car has been more polished than driven, and the vendor admits that he has probably clocked up no more than a couple of hundred miles in all the time he has owned it.

A retired engineer (and college lecturer on the subject), he has enjoyed tinkering with the car and has certainly not stinted on maintenance, getting it regularly attended to by marque specialists Redcastle Classics of Caerphilly. There are bills on file amounting to over £8,000 for work carried out by Redcastle in the last few years, including an overhaul of the braking system with new servo and master cylinder etc, new water pump and timing chain tensioner, new gear linkage bushes plus a host of other jobs. In addition the vendor has fitted a new hood, new rear lights, new front indicator lenses and new chrome wheel embellishers using genuine MB parts at considerable expense!

The engine has been fitted with more sporty Weber 40DCOE carbs with K&N filters at some point, the carbs being overhauled earlier this year. A new battery and isolator switch have also been fitted and the car comes with a very smart car cover that fits like a glove. In short, anything that needed to be done has been done and even the clock keeps perfect time.

Supplied with a good history file extending back 40 years or more including many invoices and old MOTs back to 1974, it also comes with a rare factory hard top in black which is in very good condition, an original owner’s handbook and parts catalogue, a Weber carb maintenance manual plus a host of other useful bits of literature.

Impeccably maintained in the current ownership and looking wonderful in dark grey with a nicely patinated and original cream leather interior, this is a lovely example of a very rare car that you won’t be scared to use. We were allowed a lengthy test drive on the occasion of our visit and can confirm that it goes as well as it looks.

With top examples now making well in excess of the guide price suggested here and with RHD versions being in extremely short supply, you could wait a long time before you see another like this for sale…