Mercedes-Benz 190 SL

Some cars aren’t just cars. They’re an answer. In this case, to the question thousands of Americans asked in the 1950s: “Can I have a bit of that 300 SL magic, but without an extra mortgage and a racing helmet?”

A phone call from the visionary American importer Max Hoffman to Stuttgart set everything in motion. The result? The Mercedes-Benz 190 SL. Not a compromise, but a category of its own: less brutal than the 300 SL, yet more elegant, accessible, and – as it would turn out – just as desirable.

At the New York International Auto Show, it was presented as the continental jewel for the weekend driver. A year later, the production model shone in Geneva, and Europe – but especially America – was sold. Between 1955 and 1963, Mercedes built just over 25,000 examples.

A 1961 190 SL that hasn’t just survived the years but has emerged even more beautiful.

Imported from the USA to the Netherlands in 1992, it went straight into the hands of a true enthusiast. No trading, no passing through multiple owners in ten countries: just one owner since its import. That says it all. And for anyone still in doubt: it has been continuously maintained by Mercedes specialist Van Dijk. No hobbyist tinkering, no general garage adventure – just the ultimate specialist.

In 2020, it received a cosmetic restoration. The body was stripped down to bare metal and resprayed in its original color: Hellblau. Not just any blue, but the kind of blue that makes you question why modern cars are even offered in printer-colors.

The chrome? Either new or replated to the kind of shine you only see on German jewels and Italian sunglasses. The interior? Fully renewed in the exact correct colors, with that beautiful wood trim that gives the 190 SL its inexpressible class.

Matching numbers, matching colors, matching everything. Without a doubt, one of the most correct, tasteful, and refined 190 SLs you will find in Europe.

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Das Beste oder nichts – Mercedes-Benz.

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