From the Classifieds: 1960 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL

If you are an admirer of the Mercedes-Benz ‘Gullwing’ 300 SL coupe from the mid-1950s but not quite able to stump up $4 million – or way more – to have one parked in your garage, you’ll be pleased to know there’s a much cheaper option.

Well, that’s if you call a $300,000 or so buying price cheap.

The W121 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL roadster may not have been the fastest production car available at the time (the Gullwing reportedly was) but it was produced concurrently with the 300 SL from 1955 to 1963 and was pretty much a visual dead-ringer.

Being basically a roadster, it lacked the gullwing doors and the 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder that powered the W194 race car to a string of racetrack and endurance victories from 1962.

Though the 190 SL’s four-cylinder engine was related to the 179kW fuel-injected six-cylinder in the 300 SL, it was down two cylinders and displaced just 1.9 litres. Fed by twin Solex carburettors, it produced 89kW.

There were hidden differences too. Where both the 190 SL and 300 SL shared a double-wishbone/swing-axle suspension, the 190 SL was based, unlike the 300 SL’s tubular spaceframe, on a less-costly unitary structure borrowed from the then-contemporary Mercedes-Benz W121 sedan.

With its humble engine, there was nothing much to say about the acceleration but that’s of little matter when you’re driving a car that’s a legitimate cousin of an absolutely iconic 1950s sports car.

Introduced in 1955 – a year later than the 300 SL – the 190 SL continued alongside the roadster version of its famous sibling through to 1963, when it was replaced by the also-iconic pagoda-roofed 230 SL.

Fact is, the Mercedes-Benz 190 SL roadster remains a gorgeous, timeless two-seat roadster or coupe (a removable hard-top was available) bursting with charisma and almost unbeatable for a summer night’s cruise along a ritzy seaside boulevard.

Which is why this 1960 manual-gearbox 190 SL from Tallebudgera Valley on Queensland’s Gold Coast caught our attention when it was listed on carsales.com.au.

Finished in beige with a burgundy/cream leather interior, the “fully rebuilt” 190 SL is priced at $310,000.

Since the rebuild, which included the fitment of Mercedes-approved power steering, it has travelled 6382km and is registered to February 2022.

It will be sold with a roadworthy certificate, along with a full history of the restoration which was carried out to bring it to “another level” after its previous sale through Shannon’s. The 190 SL will unfortunately come without books.

It’s an eloquent statement that recalls the grandeur of luxury European sport-roadster motoring in the 1950s and ’60s.

Take a closer look at this 1960 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL for sale on carsales