﹒Huge history file ﹒One of only around 1,200 RHD examples made
The Background
The United Kingdom has, despite its questionable climate, always been a significant market for roofless cars: convertibles, cabriolets, roadsters, targas, we’ve always embraced them with open arms, and it was as true back in the 1950s as it is today. Take the car we have here: not only is it a beautiful representation of this iconic and legendary roadster, it’s a right-hand-drive example that was first registered in the UK back in 1957.
Right-hand drive examples are considered very rare and collectable as approximately only 5% were produced in right-hand drive, making this one of only around 1,200 ever made compared to 25,881 in total.
Its fabulously designed cabin and extraordinarily beautiful body design make these cars one of the all-time greats, for sure – and with massive history and a huge amount of money invested to get it tip-top, this is one of the most pleasant and alluring RHD examples we’ve seen.
The second week of June in 1957 was a significant time in automotive culture and folklore. Over in Oklahoma, with the state celebrating its semi-centennial, a brand new Plymouth Belvedere was buried in a time capsule to be unearthed fifty years later. When that day came, in 2007, it turned out that the burial chamber was flooded with water and the Plymouth had severely deteriorated. Oops.
While all this was going on, the first owner of this splendid Mercedes 190 SL was taking delivery of their shiny new roadster here in the UK on 12/06/1957. And rather than burying it in a ditch for imagined posterity, they did the sensible thing and enjoyed it as Mercedes-Benz intended.
A sumptuous and sylph-like machine to be driven and enjoyed. Sixty-four years later, it positively gleams in the sunlight thanks to its superb new paint; it’s enjoyed new panels, a new hood, an interior retrim, and everything it’s desired to keep it looking as fresh as it did back in ’57.
With a huge amount of money invested, and a sizeable history file to back it all up, it’s now presented to market as a truly fabulous example of the breed.
There’s a sizeable crate of paperwork with this car, which is extremely reassuring as everything that’s been done to the car over the years has been carefully documented. Interestingly, there are some printouts of old photos of the SL wearing red paint; in fact, the car was originally silver, was repainted red in the 1990s, and has recently enjoyed a high-end paint job to return it to its factory silver hue.
As well as period books and manuals, and stamped taxation books from the 1960s and ’70s, we find a lot of receipts including some recent ones outlining the car’s considerable overhaul. It’s had a new clutch within the last few weeks (at a cost of over £1,500), and a receipt from marque specialist Steve Redfearn in 2020 shows that over £1,500 was spent on a full engine tune and service, and brake overhaul.
In 1998, B&J Coachworks Ltd of East Peckham carried out a body restoration including new wings, quarter panels and much more besides, and this amounted to over £18,700 – it was at this point that the car was red. It’s since been returned to silver, with the interior beautifully retrimmed in red leather to match the new red roof. The paperwork shows that this is a car that’s always been looked after, and the money’s been spent in the right places.
This really is a gorgeous interior. The design itself is sublime, and the manner in which this has been retrimmed here is both pleasantly sympathetic and wonderfully high-end. The red leather on the seats is superb, and the door cards and dash have been tastefully trimmed to match.
The seats tilt forward correctly, allowing access to the rear storage area which features the proper stowage cover panels that lift out to reveal fresh soundproofing. The carpets are new throughout, and the steering wheel has been expertly restored.
The dash dials are all present and functional, the sun visors have been retrimmed, and it’s all dry and tidy inside the boot with new carpet and the correct spare wheel with good tyre.
It’s clear that a lot of time and care (not to mention investment) has gone into the bodywork of this car, as it presents superbly.
The panels are all free from chips, dings or scratches with uniformly lovely paint throughout, and the panel gaps are neat and straight. All of the chrome trim is present and in great untarnished condition, and the light lenses and window glass are good.
The wheels wear their correct matching hubcaps along with quality whitewall tyres with plenty of tread. The roof is new and in outstanding condition. The red fabric looks fantastic against the silver coachwork, and the hood raises, latches and lowers smoothly as it should. There’s also a new matching tonneau cover.
This is a very smooth and amiable car to drive, just as a 190 SL should be. We can see in the file that almost £5,500 was spent on engine maintenance in 2016, as well as benefiting from a £5k Roger Edwards top end engine rebuild, and the car hasn’t covered a great deal of miles since.
The work in 2016 included attention to the starter and distributor, and in 2020 the engine was compression tested and serviced with attention to the carburettors.
As such, it runs like a dream today, starting on the first try and settling into an even idle; it pulls keenly through the revs and is equally happy to potter around town. The gearbox is smooth, working with its recently installed new clutch, and there are no issues to report with the suspension or braking systems either. A very enjoyable car to drive indeed.
The appeal of the 190 SL is evident from every angle. Just look at it – this is more art than car, a beautifully designed automobile that’s just as desirable today than it was back in 1957.
It’s no exaggeration to say that every person who walked past during our photoshoot stopped to comment on what a stunning machine it is, and if we’d put a ‘for sale’ sign on it we could have probably sold it ten times over. It really is jaw-droppingly pretty.
Of course, there’s substance beneath the style. These cars were intelligently engineered for smoothness, reliability and driving pleasure, and this example delivers all of that with alacrity. A 190 SL with a huge history file that’s enjoyed significant investment to get it looking outstanding and running superbly, this is a really exciting opportunity. A ’57 that’s as good to drive as it is to look at.
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1957 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL RHD
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