Model story

Mercedes-Benz 190SL

Mass production roadster Mercedes-Benz 190SL was started in the mid-fifties of the XX century as a more democratic version of the legendary sports car 300SL Gullwing, maintaining visual similarity to the prototype, and similar components of its running gear, but based special platform R121 and new 4-cylinder engine M121B. Most of the produced cars came to the North American market generating a new trend of post-war Mercedes-Benz models - to produce a small roadsters, latest generation of which today is represent by the modern SLK models. High appreciation by the public then has accelerated deployment of mass batch production - 190SL and 300SL projects were initiated by Mercedes-Benz importer in the United States - Maximilian ("Maxi") E. Hoffman, who compiled dealers' forecasts, and foresaw a great demand for the cars of such type. Both models quickly gained the popularity, but demand for the "younger brother" - 190SL got over the almost two times more expensive 300SL at a ratio of 8:1.

Before 1957, when the International Automobile Federation (FIA) has changed the technical regulations, Mercedes-Benz 190SL successfully participated in the GT class racing. It is interesting, that racing 190SL models have not been of production on assembly line. Only specific sets of Rennsport kits have been in-plant manufactured, where construction of every sports car to the very end was performed by car dealers or owners individually.

Until February 1963 there were produced 25,881 Mercedes-Benz 190SL cars. The car came in two versions - as a 2-seat roadster with a retractable soft top (designation 121.042), or as a 2-seat coupe with a removable hard top (designation 121.040).