1961 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL

Our car is a 1961 left-hand drive example and came originally from California, according to the vendor. After that, it spent some time in Japan where it was clearly cherished, as it acquired a thick plastic wallet of printed history, completely indecipherable to us, sadly! In 2014, it came to the UK and has been owned by one person before the current vendor, who acquired it only last July.

At the time, with the first lockdown easing and a sunny summer ahead, our vendor part-exchanged a very nice 230SL Pagoda with Chelsea Cars in London and took this 190SL up to his home in East Lothian. The plan was for Continental touring - Spain, France and so on - but since overseas tourism contracted Long Covid and Brexit made things harder, he feels he’d rather allow the car to be enjoyed by someone new. There is still almost four months of mechanical and electrical warranty from the dealer that can be assigned to the purchaser.

In this nine months of ownership, the vendor has done a good deal to protect and improve the car, investing in a Waxoyl treatment for the underside, a new hood-bag in soft read leather to conceal the hood when it’s folded, new boot mats and boot lid insulation, a removable wind-deflector and a really lovely period Becker Europa radio from a London specialist who’s modified the internals with a Bluetooth connection.

It now runs and drives just as it should and presents very nicely indeed, not least thanks to the vendor’s fondness for expensive Swissvax polish. There are a few small cosmetic details that the next owner could tackle if they catch the eye.

Mercedes had a few versions of Ivory paint on the go in the 1950s and 60s, and this car may have started life either as elfenbein or hellelfenbein - there’s a hint of a more yellowed ivory tone inside the glovebox. Either way, it’s now looking very bright in the spring sunshine and has clearly benefitted from a decent re-paint at some point.

There are a couple of tiny blisters, one in front of the boot lid and one behind, but neither is in danger of flaking nor do they seem to signify anything to worry about underneath. The wheel-arch lips and the front and rear valance edges are as crisp as you could wish.

Panel fit is good, with even door gaps and a well-fitting bonnet and boot lid. The chrome is susceptible to criticism here and there, with the joints in the front bumper showing evidence of a repair. It could all be sorted out bit by bit, though. Elsewhere, there’s only a bit of age-related pitting and the majority of the brightwork is still very smart.

The car sits on four good Bridgestone SF248 radials, onto which the vendor has applied a very narrow white-wall stripe, using a special kit bought for the purpose. The hubcaps are in great shape. The folding roof is also tip-top, having been fitted with a new lined hood in 2018 and hardly used. Even the scratch-prone plastic window is almost unmarked.

There’s a very smart new carpet set in here, and together with the excellent box-pleated seats in red leather, it points to a significant spend in recent years. The door cards have a couple of minor marks but nothing that requires replacement or repair.

The dashboard is the main event in a 190SL and this one does not disappoint. The twin VDO speedo and rev counter are either superb original survivors or have been refurbished at some point, but going by the rest of the dash - lightly patinated but not obviously restored - they may well be original. The mileage is currently 56,850. MoT records show 55,311 back in 2014, so recent use has been very light.

The glovebox lid contains a charming wind-up clock that still ticks away and keeps time, while every switch and slider has that solid Benz feel that’s difficult to put into words but so easy to recognise in the flesh. ‘Built to last’ probably sums it up. The enormous steering wheel (a Mercedes tradition) is clean and uncracked, with a smart horn ring.

The hood is lined with a soft, brown patterned fabric and is still a tight job to close on the driver’s side catch - this may well relax with use, especially if the hood is left erected. The wind deflector is a Mercedes item and is held in place by the weight of the folded hood frame. It does a good job of keeping things calm in the cabin but most would agree the car looks better without it!

There’s one more treat in store when you open the boot. The vendor has acquired a pair of 1960s-style suitcases and commissioned a leatherworker to make a strap to hold them in place - they come with the car. Under the suitcases are new rubber mats that conceal only smart, rust-free panels and wheel wells.

The car runs a pair of side-draught Weber carbs (new in recent years) and with a bit of choke, chuffs to life almost straight away. It was set up on a rolling road following the fitment of the new carbs and once you’ve got the correct jet sizes, Webers don’t really go out of tune, so it still idles, revs and pulls as it should. In fact, with good brakes and low-geared steering making up for a lack of power assistance, it’s a pleasantly easy car to drive when you bear in mind it’s now 60 years old.

The engine bay is very presentable. It’s not detailed right down to the last rosette’s worth, and some originality freaks might not like the electric fuel pump, fuel filter or those twin Webers instead of the costly original Solexs, but it’s all neat and clean with no signs of leaks. The distributor is one of those ‘123’ devices concealing electronic ignition with (we think) a choice of maps; another reason the car starts so readily.

Peering under the floors, sills, door bottoms, nose and tail reveals nothing of any concern. There’s an even coating of underseal and Waxoyl on the sheet steel, a normal amount of road grime on the moving parts, and that’s it really. The exhaust is dusty rather than rusty (it’s stainless steel) and once again, we found no leaks, flaky bits or unauthorised holes.

There is little if any printed history from before the car’s sojourn in Japan, which means the long American phase of its life is something of a mystery - so often the case in the USA, where history folders seem to be a rare species. On arrival in the UK several years ago the paperwork starts to mount up, with receipts for various engine ancillaries, tyres, set-up work, the new hood and so forth.

There’s a good MoT history showing occasional repairs to minor items like tail lamps, though the car is not currently MoT tested - as we know, it’s no longer compulsory for Historic Vehicles. Crucially, the V5C shows details that match the photocopy of the car’s factory data card. The original engine is still fitted and this is, therefore, a ‘matching numbers’ example.

Also included are three expensive books from the 190 SL Group, covering restoration and ownership, while the third is the Technical Manual. There is also a CD-Rom covering Lubrication and Maintenance.

We include an online HPI report run at the auction start which shows no finance outstanding and no insurance markers for theft or damage.

If you’re serious about 190SL ownership you really must buy a good one. As incredible as it seems, you can still spend more on restoration than you could recoup from selling a mint example, even after the price rise the model has enjoyed. In addition, some cars suit a bit of shabby chic but the 190SL is not amongst them. This one is all about glamour.

We think this car will fetch £110,000 to £120,000. That’s still a long way short of the prices asked for freshly-restored concours examples, and less than the £130,000 realised at auction in November for another 1961 car with the same Weber carb conversion. It leaves a bit of headroom to sort minor niggles with some of the chrome trim and exterminate two tiny paint blisters.

Lest we forget, it’s also just 10% of the price of a 300SL roadster for a car that offers 90% of the visual appeal, especially to non-petrolheads. Take it down any street from Cannes to California and heads will turn, people will smile. Even if you aren’t a real movie star.

Viewing is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with the vendor in Scotland, about half an hour from Edinburgh. To arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.