One of the amazing things about this community is that when we post a car, you guys typically send in a few more just like it. Sometimes they are similar and sometimes they are better. Well after featuring an incredibly rusty Mercedes 190SL, Dimitris K shared another one with us on Facebook. Finding a Mercedes 190SL barn find is no small task, but he managed to do it within mere moments of us posting the rust bucket 190sl. It really wouldn’t have taken much to be in better shape than that one, but this one is in considerably better condition. There is one major hurtle though, it is currently located in Athens, Greece. If you don’t mind doing all the paper work and waiting for it to be transported across the globe, you can take a look at it here on TooToo.gr.
I won’t pretend like I know how to read Greek, so I had to throw the listing into Google Translate. If you’ve used any translation software before, you know they can be less than perfect at doing their job. That being said, I was able to make sense of much of the listing. The seller claims it has been in the same family for the past 50 years and that it has only been parked for about 12 years. They also claim that it is one of only 3 Mercedes 190SLs sold in Greece. Of course they also claim that it is 100 percent original, right down to that bright blue leather… eh velvet upholstery?
I’m no Mercedes expert, but I’m pretty sure this car should have leather seats. The seller lists the car as having leather, so perhaps these are just seat covers. Or maybe the photos make the seats look like fabric? I’m going to guess they have been recovered, but in the overall scheme of restoring one of these, that is the least of your concerns. I would still want to have a personal inspection performed before making any offers. It certainly can’t be any worse than the previous rust bucket we featured!
I wouldn’t normally feature another Mercedes after featuring one so recently, but I was impressed by how fast Dimitris was at finding and sharing this one with us! It goes to show just how skilled and dedicated many of you are at hunting down great finds. It also reminds me that no matter where you live, if there is a structure large enough to house a car, it might just be hiding something great! Most importantly, no matter where you live or what type of cars you’re into, we love seeing your finds so keep them coming!
That link didn’t work. Searched that site every way I could and only pulled up 18 mercs and none of them was that car. Have you got a more current/accurate link?
I don’t know about USA cars, but all european 190SL’s were issued as standard with rexine seats, a sort of plastic leather look fabric. I also could not access the link (‘page not found’)
…regarding a 190SL like this at nearly 100,000USD landed, replacing seat covers would be my last concern. …
Also, Maybe you have never driven a roadster with leather or vinyl in hot sweaty conditions… It is not uncommon in hot climates to have fabric covers that the body does not stick to.
Compaired to the 190 you featured the other day this one is a museum piece !! I’m leaning towards seat covers, thats what they look like to me, looks like who ever owns it also threw down some cheap floor mats also. This car would certainly be a resto candidate,it looks very nice,the engine bay looks original with the exception of a newer battery with the side/top posts, the cost in trying to restore and locate parts for the one that sat outside all those years I think would religate it to a parts car. Very cool car !!
…give it a good detailing and drive as is!! What a GEM!
yes much better then the other one but still going to take a lot of time/money. i hope it does get back on the road. very nice find
all my 190 SL’s had vinyl type seats, my last 190 Sl was also a 1961,also frost white.This car is questionable.Im not positive this car is a 1961.I would hard pressed to send a good sized amount of money to a foreign country,for a car like this.It looks like it needs a complete restoration,and I would be very weary of the amount of rust .Mercedes are expensive to restore.Mercedes has a very competent restoration parts department,but still very costly,Pass
They want 75.000 euro and the didn’t Wash the car and can ‘ t make proper photo ‘s.?!?
Link worked fine. And the site has a translator in the upper right. UK English worked fine. 75000 euros stopped my reading.
Never wanted a 190 SL in the 50’s. Never wanted a 190 SL in the 60’s, when they were $5K. Never wanted one in the 70’s when they were still $5K. Same for the 80’s and 90’s even at $12K.
Now being much older – I guess my tastes or interested have change a little. I love my 1999 SLK 230 and because of that – it might be fun to own a 190 SL at this point. However “might be fun” or “might be interesting” – aren’t worth todays prices to me.
Might be interested if/when the bubble bursts again.
Infinitely better shape but at $94,000 I would expect a perfectly restored gleaming beauty, not a grubby garage find. These were the dogs of the MB world. Have they finally began to seriously appreciate?? Apparently so! -_-;
Showcar 190SLS are now bringing over $200,000.
Generally speaking, IMHO, the asking price for cars in ANY part of Europe is absolutely insane. The disparity in price cannot be explained by the currency conversion rate.
When a super-sanitary and ready for the road version crosses the auction block @ $110K like one just did over the weekend: https://www.mecum.com/lot-detail.cfm?lot_id=AN1114-197703
That makes this car seem outrageously overpriced, and last week’s rusty bucket even a farther stretch to consider restoring.
Desirable classic cars today are becoming further and further out of reach for the average Joe unless he is looking for a Ford Falcon. The190SL values have skyrocketed within the last few years and will only get higher. It is no longer uncommon to see many Ferraris and Certain Muscle Cars going for well over a Million. As I said….it’s becoming a hobby for a select few if the rare and sought after classics are the preferred choice to own.
Nothing new about that. Rare and Sought after Classics have always been out of reach for the average Joe. That smart average Joe learns to buy them BEFORE they become RARE. The dumb average Joe {me} is always looking back and wishing he could still buy things at the prices they were at 5 or 10 years ago – when he failed to act when he could afford it.
With few exceptions – all the Classic cars go though the same cycles or processes over time. From the beginning of production until decades later when only a very small percentage are left in existence.
It would worth the trip over as an excuse to eat. Gawd……..the food.
What the heck kind of garage is that?
The car seats look like they have seat covers to me , who knows ? the leather / Vinyl underneath might still be in good condition
The car was sold within one day and is now off to its new home. Thankfully it is going to be mildly restored, keeping the original patina.
Thanks for the update Petros and good luck to the new owner!
By the way just to answer the question about the seats…
I know who bought the car and those were seats covers, leather underneath…
Car was complete and the only wrong thing on it was the carburetor that was
replaced at some point with a later model Stromberg.
Just an update to solve the cloth seats mystery…