Details:

Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale a 1960 Mercedes-Benz 190SL.

The Fahrzeug-Daten (factory data card) and Produktions-Auftrag (factory production order) on file confirms that this factory right hand drive example was ordered new in Australia early 1960. The car left the factory on the 22nd April 1960.

The car was ordered in elfenbein (ivory, paint code 608) with a blue leather interior (interior code 354) and a black hard top (code 40) and with the following options: instruments in English, lights for left hand traffic, export edition, yellow indicators, buzzer for indicators, 1kg paint, no battery.

This car has an extensive history file with invoices going back to the 27th August 1979. At that time the car was owned by Mr LC Goodwin Esquire from Canberra in the ACT.

By May 1989 the car had found its way to Sydney where it was owned by Mr Louis Giouzepis from Concord. At the time the car was registered as OIM 599. In his ownership a new soft top was sourced from MB Classic in Mona Vale in November 1999.

In 2002 Giouzepis had Bavaria Cars in Gladesville, NSW carry out some rust repairs. Floor sections were cut out and replaced with new metal. Various other parts were sourced from the Netherlands. The rear bumper was also replaced and new overriders were fitted. Bavaria Cars also reconditioned the brake master cylinder.

In 2004 the car was listed for sale by the Classic Throttle Shop in Sydney. A copy of the listing is on file in which the car is described as Australian delivered. been pampered for the past 17 years by its owner little mileage since it was restored some years back.

The car was purchased by Richard Rains for his wife Penelope in October 2004. At that time the odometer read 24,681 km. There is an NRMA inspection report on file from when they purchased the car. Rains subsequently registered the car with the NSW plates AB49NZ and later with the personalised plates SL 1960. In their ownership the car was regularly serviced by Mercedes-Benz specialist Arthur Rizzo Motors in North Sydney.

The Rains used and enjoyed the car for next twelve years and then decided to sell it though Shannons Sydney Late Autumn Classic auction in May 2016.

The current owner was the high bidder when the gravel came down and the Mercedes-Benz 190SL was off to its new home in Melbourne.

At that stage the car was in need of some TLC and the new owner decided to engage the services of Mercedes-Benz specialist Reinhard Klavers. A major mechanical refurbishment was undertaken, which included refurbishment of the front suspension, an engine rebuilt which required re-sleeving the engine block as well as reconditioning the cylinder head and other miscellaneous mechanical works. The interior was also refreshed at this time. There are detailed invoices and photos on file for the work, which took some 18 months to complete. In total, nearly $80,000 was spent on the car.

The car lived between Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula and it was used sparingly over the next nine years, travelling an estimated 1,000 km during this time.

When this Mercedes-Benz 190SL arrived at our show room the brakes were not operating as they should. The car was sent to Three Point Classic in Mount Gravatt for assessment and repair. The brake booster was overhauled and the brakes were also adjusted. The engine was also tuned at the time.

At time of photographing the odometer read 28,083 km, which confirms that the car has only travelled 3,402 km since it was acquired by Richard Rains in October 2004.

Today this car presents and drives beautifully. It is not a concours car, rather a car that can be used and enjoyed.

The car has been repainted at some stage though it is not known when this was completed. We suspect it was at least 25 years ago, although its overall presentation suggests otherwise. The paint has retained a strong depth of colour and high gloss finish. When you look closely you will find a few small imperfections here and there, but you do have to look hard. Importantly the panel gaps are very good and the car also presents well underneath.

The rubbers are all in generally good condition, though the bailey channels look to be original and present accordingly.

The bright work on the car presents reasonably well, though there is some very light pitting and aging showing on some components. The front bumper and door trims have the most noticeable defects with some crazing and marks in the chrome.

The lights and lenses are all in very good condition. The glass is generally in good condition, with no significant chips or cracks, though we did notice some slight delamination at the top left of the windscreen.

The soft top on the car is in excellent condition and it fits exceptionally well. It was installed some 25 years ago but looks like it has never been out in the rain or the sun. The plastic window is still in excellent condition and shows no sign of any discoloration.

The steel wheels have dress rims and hubcaps fitted. They present well, though if you look closely you can see some minor paint chips on the rims, most likely caused by balancing weights. The wheels are shod with Maxxis MA-1 tyres, size 185/80R13 all around. The oldest one is date stamped 4120 (week 41, 2020) and the newest one is date stamped 5120 (week 51, 2020). The tyres are still in very good condition.

The interior on this car presents superbly. The blue upholstery is a perfect colour contrast to the ivory paint and the bakelight steering wheel. All the upholstery essentially presents as new, which is not surprising as it was all refreshed when the current owner acquired the car. The seats are comfortably firm and provide ample support. The dashboard is a real feature on a Mercedes-Benz 190SL and it presents really well on this car. The instruments are all crisp and clean. The steering wheel is in good condition, though the gear knob looks to be original and shows some wear. The blue carpet and rubber floor mats are also in very good condition.

Open the bonnet and the first thing you will notice is a pair of Weber 40 DCOE carburettors. At some stage the original Solex 44PHH carburettors have been replaced. This is a relatively common upgrade for 190SL owners who value reliability and performance more than originality. The engine bay presents well and everything is generally clean and tidy.

When starting the car from cold you do have to use the choke. You turn the ignition on, pull the choke out and then you press the starter button. The car will then start easily. You have to then push the choke back gently, but not all the way to find that sweet spot where the engine runs smoothly. Once the engine has warmed up you can push the choke all the way back.

Whilst this car presents beautifully, we were more impressed about how if drove. The Weber carburettor upgrade gets the thumbs up from us and everyone who has driven this car has commented about how well it drove. Whilst it is no 300SL, this car does have plenty of power on tap and it is in fact a really nice car to drive. When driving a 190SL one often finishes up by saying . . . a nice car to drive, but I wish it had more power. This wasnt the case in this car. The engine revs freely and feels strong. This is no real surprise seeing the car has only travelled a few thousand kilometres since the engine was completely rebuilt. The gearbox is smooth both up and down the box and the brakes, thanks to a recently rebuilt brake booster, pull the car up quickly and in a straight line when needed.

The current owner of this car has ticked his Mercedes-Benz 190SL ownership box and as a result this car is now looking for its next custodian.

Accompanying the car is a good history file, an owners manual, a hard top, jack and a spare wheel.

Highlights:

- Australian delivered, factory RHD example.
- Matching numbers (chassis, engine and body).
- Hard top / soft top.
- Finished in its original and timeless colour scheme.
- Ready use and enjoy.

Price: $279,950.


Background:

Following the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Europes car industry was decimated. In Germany both Daimler and Benz went back to producing cars post-war, however, times were tough. A merger between Daimler and Benz would ensure that both companies survived and following a technical co-operation agreement in 1924, the companies formally merged on the 1st July 1926. Mercedes-Benz was born!

Subsequently, Mercedes-Benz went on to build some of the greatest cars of all time. The cars from Stuttgart bearing the three-pointed star all had one thing in common . . . they were renowned for their technical innovation, build quality, luxury and performance.

In the 1950s Mercedes Benz produced one of the greatest cars of all time the iconic 300SL Gullwing and 300SL Coupe. Whilst fabulous cars, they were very expensive and generally sold to the rich and famous. Mercedes wanted to build a sporting luxury car that still looked classical in the mould of the 300SL, but it had to be affordable and the plan was to build such a car in far greater numbers than the exclusive 300SLs. Enter the Type W121 or 190SL as it became known in the mid 1950s. This model was an outstanding success and circa 25,000 cars were built over the next 8 years of production. The formula worked and Mercedes Benz carried it on with great success in the 1960s with the Type W113 230SL/250SL/280SL models. This evolved into the Type R107/C107 280SL(C)/350SL(C)/380SL(C)/450SL(C) models built throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Mercedes-Benz marketed the 190SL as . . . as sports car for all seasons.

To quote their website:

. . . Sporting elegance, safety and comfort with these qualities the 190 SL conquered a whole new circle of enthusiastic fans of dynamic driving. Mercedes-Benz unveiled the prototype of the 190 SL (W 121) at the International Motor Sports Show in New York in February 1954, alongside the production version of the 300 SL Gullwing. Although the two-seater roadster with folding soft top stirred passions, it was to undergo a further thorough revision by the Mercedes-Benz designers known at the time as stylists.

In March 1955, a full year after the New York premiere, the production version went on display at the Geneva Motor Show. Like its elder brother, the spectacular 300 SL Gullwing, the 190 SL rapidly became one of the most coveted dream cars of its day. Although less powerful than the 300 SL, it generated no less excitement and opened up the SL legend to a wider circle of customers. By 1963 sales had totalled 25,881 units.

And even long-distance drives were enjoyable thanks to the comfortable suspension. The handsome sports car for all occasions was particularly popular among female drivers, who appreciated not only the sporting elegance of its design, but also the open-air feeling that came as standard. With its easy-to-operate soft top and optionally available coupé hardtop, the 190 SL was the first SL to combine the possibility of open-top driving with absolute all-weather capability.