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Good Bones: 1958 Mercedes-Benz 190SL

MB 190A

What an amazing chance to work on/restore a 1958 Mercedes 190SL!  This car is in Daytona Beach, Florida and is listed here on ebay. So would you take a gamble on this project or would you rather find one that’s already restored? Before you decide you better have a look at the many detailed photos below!

The body is all there.  There isn’t any history given with this listing so if you have any questions I suggest you get in contact with the seller.

The engine and gearbox are in the car. We don’t know if it spins or when the last time the car ran.  As you can see there was a rust issue in the rear and the tin worms have been removed but the space is still void.

The interior is not in bad shape and it appears you will have what you’ll need to get everything in order.

There are replace parts, we don’t know if they are NOS or not. It appears the radiator may have been re-corded, but the seller doesn’t state if it was. The spare wheel and jack are included as well as the bits and pieces you see pictured. At the time of this writing there were 32 bids. The reserve is not meet with the high bid at $29,700. What do you think the reserve is?

Cheers,
Robert

Comments

  1. Avatar RayT

    Bidding up to $42K now. I dig the looks, but fell out of love with the SL after driving one. Desperately slow, and handled no better than a 190 sedan. A true boulevard sports car.

    Worse, of course, is the cost of the “full restoration” the seller seems to advocate. Mercedes-Benz doesn’t give away resto parts for these, and any service/repair work the owner has done in a shop will cost a bundle.

    Given the prices for restored examples, this one seems in the ballpark, but it’s a ballpark where too many of us can’t afford to play.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Lee

      I really don’t understand why these cars bring the kind of money they do today. I really like the look of the car, as I have a 57 and a 58, but I agree they are really slow and handling is awful. The only thing is they look good cruising down the road and are a fun highway car. Maybe I should sell now while the price is high.

      Like 0
  2. Avatar jimbosidecar

    I haven’t understood this car since the late 1980s when they were $2500-$3000 in good condition. They are slow, don’t handle very well, and really just a boring car to drive. When I saw some of them had crept to 6 figures, i was surprised to say the least. That’s 356 territory…

    Like 0
  3. Avatar Dolphin Member

    Perfect 190SLs can now sell at high end auctions for over $200K. Agreed they are not exciting to drive, perhaps mainly because they were based on a small M-B sedan and weren’t developed as a high end sports car like the 300SL.

    I can’t see the prices paid for 190SLs either, even if they are perfectly restored. But I can think of a couple of reasons why they can bring big money:

    they look like a small 300SL, they are much cheaper to buy than a 300SL in comparable condition, and they are probably still appreciating, although I think there will need to be some auction sales at $300K to confirm that.

    Like 0
  4. Avatar AXEL CARAVIAS

    Car is a 57, not 58 and those carbs are not the original Solex 44PHH. Hard to see additional details on the phone.
    Whoever buys this one will have to have that checkbook ready for the 80k plus restoration work.
    I restore them and I am 40 miles away, if anyone wants a ppi just let me know.

    Axel Caravias

    Like 0
    • Avatar Horse Radish

      Wrong VIN in description ?
      According to that it’s an early 1958

      Like 0
      • Avatar AXEL CARAVIAS

        You are right, vin# states very early 58, however the # stamped on the body states late 57. So it has to have a mfg date of early January using parts and body fabricated in 57. This was a common practice at MB.
        Sometimes I wish for pictures to be bigger, it is very hard to see them on the phone.

        Like 0
  5. Avatar AXEL CARAVIAS

    In fact the real vin# plaque appears to be missing, it should be located on the pass side of the engine compartment right over the battery box. I see the 4 small screws that hold it in place but I don’t see the plaque attached. The 2 numbers shown are the body# located on the driver side behind the brake “booster” and the small plaque located on the pass side front lower rail just below the Bosch voltage regulator.

    Like 0

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