The first thing that caught my attention when I spied this Mercedes-Benz is its color. Sure, a car can be finished in a veritable rainbow of hues, I have just never seen a 190 SL decked out in such a vivid shade of blue. Said to be a very clean daily driver, the seller has decided after twenty-four years of ownership that it is time to pass this ’62 Mercedes on to a new caretaker. It’s located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is available, here on eBay for a BIN price of $89,995 with a make an offer option too. T.J. gets a tip of the hat for this discovery!
Produced between 1955 and 1963, Mercedes-Benz’s 190 SL realized a total volume of about 25K copies. A single roadster body style was offered and a removable hardtop was optional – and this car has one. Judging from the interior of our subject car, there’s a space behind the seats where a diminutive passenger could sit sideways but I wouldn’t recommend it for anything other than a quick trip around the corner.
Back to that blue finish, if I have interpreted the VIN/trim tag correctly, the paint is code 334 – “Light Blue” though it’s not stated if it’s original. The seller mentions that the car has been stored in a climate-controlled garage and it looks like it. There’s no sign of rust, fade, minor contusions, or crash damage, though the driver’s side rocker panel shows as if it has seen some repair. There are many more images, including some of the underside, here on Millevoi Bros. and everything seems to check out pretty well. The underside is a bit oily in places and some areas look like they have been recently undercoated – potentially covering something. As for the folding top, it’s in fair shape, it’s a bit discolored and has a small hole on the passenger side.
Powering this roadster is a 120 HP, 1.9-liter in-line four-cylinder engine connected to a four-speed manual transmission. The seller makes no mention of the engine’s operational status or the car’s general running characteristics other than to state that he still has the factory carburetors. There isn’t an engine image in the eBay listing but Millevoi contains several.
As for the interior, the off-white upholstery shows beautifully, enough so that it makes one wonder if it’s original. Ditto the door cards and tan carpet, both are excellent. The switchgear is all in place as are the non-fogged instrument panel gauges. The dash top appears to be padded and there are no noted defects with it. Other than a non-working speedometer and fuel gauge, it’s safe to say that the interior requires no attention.
I initially questioned the price but a search of Hemmings shows a low of $79K and a high of $215K for similar 190 SLs. A detail-by-detail comparison among the listed cars would need to be made, of course, but the spread of values tells me that this Benz is in the ballpark. Make sure you review the images at Millevoi – they are much more comprehensive than those in the listing, and necessary, as the seller really has little to say, too little actually, to effectively market this fine roadster. I really like this car, how about you?
One of the best I’ve ever seen. Had a couple of customer cars that were solid but no where near as nice. This is a beauty.
One of my godfathers had a 190SL — I think a ’58 or ’59 — that came from the factory in what I called “Machine Tool Blue,” a shade very close to this. My guess is that the photos here are heavily oversaturated or the repaint color wasn’t exactly the same as what M-B applied. His had a dark blue interior; I don’t remember what other colors were available for blue 190s.
What he really wanted was a 300SL Roadster, but changed his mind after encountering an owner who had a problem with fouled spark plugs and was advised by the factory-trained mech to “always keep it over 4000 rpm.”
In any case, he liked it better than his 1950 Oldsmobile!
Really looks good in that shade of blue.
Great car if your not in a hurry to get somewhere and don’t mind pulling over to enjoy the scenery until the vapor lock is gone.
An average example.
Dent in the left rocker the right probably overfilled.
Wrong carb.
Wrong engine so not matching numbers.
Bumper horns, license plate limiters and rear reflectors missing.
Doors and lids not perfect fitted – be careful they are made in aluminium!
Interior details like levers from the Ponton and a crazy colour.
My estimate for this 29’999$
I see the rear reflectors but what is a license plate limiter? You missed the slight lowering job that really enhances the look of the car.
That are this small clamps around the base bumper structure.
A complete bumper for it is about 4000$. Each front and rear.
Check out this:
https://www.kienle.com/verkauf/fahrzeugangebote/details.html?tx_hproduktverwaltung_produktverwaltung%5Baction%5D=show&tx_hproduktverwaltung_produktverwaltung%5Bcontroller%5D=Fahrzeug&tx_hproduktverwaltung_produktverwaltung%5Bfahrzeug%5D=44&cHash=ae2504815c7528804c51dce90ffa9aa1
I agree, an average example.
However, matching numbers is a pretty meaningless thing for this vintage of Mercedes. The factory at that time just wasn’t that careful. The numbers might be fairly close, but rarely do they match exactly.
Forgot the 7 day windup clock. It’s also missing. That will cost you a couple bucks to replace. Gauges will cost a couple thousand to fix. I didn’t see the Solex PHH44 carbs that are a nightmare when not right. Rebuild those puppies and your looking at $5,500, assuming the pot steel isn’t shot. The paint code DB334 is called Hellblau and is a nicer lighter shade of blue.
This car is not a $90,000 190SL.
Sorry
$90 grand for a secretary’s car. Was then, is now.
Your right jwaltb
Germans always said it was a womens car, that men drove the 300SL.
I think what they were saying was that it was an American car, Germans drove the 300.
$90k is a low price on a 190SL that is correct. This appears to be an example of someone trying to take advantage of a market that likely peaked. Put this example on Bring a Trailer and it would be bloody.
Answered an ad in the LA Times (summer, 1971) for a ’64 T-bird. A white 190 SL like this was parked next to it. The Benz had a small puddle of gas and oil under it. My mechanic buddy scouting cars with me said “The guys in my shop call these the ‘Deuscher T-bird’ – a real ladies car, and those German carbs can be a genuine bitch”. Both were priced at $850 ea.. I bought the Ford, no mechanical problems, but it was like driving a drunken whale…
nice to have the hrd top, vert included?
Several (W121) white ones round here.
1955/63 almost madea decade. Lots
imported. Some by guys who sailed over,
partied, traveled, brought one back themselves
Many decades ago in the early 80s I had opportunity to purchase the very first 190SL in a Berkeley CA garage for 1200.USD. Yes. Serial number was 53 something something( Can’t recall exactly) and ending in 00001. The point being it was so-ooo rusty someone in the past had literally tried to fabricate a transmission cover out of welded sheet steel to hold the the floor pan together. Funny, how I still recall being the first to look at this car listed in the local auto recycler, how terribly rusty and trashed it was – even at $1200. and how blue it’s color was. Don’t believe I ever saw that color ever again on any benz …until now! And what I remember best? it still had it’s tattered red leather upholstery!
IMO this car is a hot mess. Wrong ghastly color, wrong carburetor and manifold, dinged bumpers, missing bumperettes, (and I suspect a 190 sedan engine in there) and sketchy underneath. I’d say $50,000 tops, tops and prepare yourself for a complete tear-down. These cars are just as expensive as a Gullwing to restore. It just has neglect written all over it. Poor thing.