1956 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL - Beautifully Restored Classic - Ivory & Red Showpiece

Description for Mercedes-Benz 190-Series 1956

‘Red Hills Rods & Classics’ is proud to offer you this gorgeous 1956 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL, finished in its factory correct color combination: (Code 608) Ivory white exterior wrapped around a perfect red leather interior. This beautiful example just underwent a full restoration w/ brand new paint, brand new trim, brand new interior, & brand new canvas top. She looks like she just rolled off the assembly line back in 1956!

Here is a bit of history on these classic Mercedes-Benz roadsters:

The Mercedes-Benz 190 SL is a two-door luxury roadster produced by Mercedes-Benz between May 1955 and February 1963. The 190 SL presented an attractive, more affordable alternative to the exclusive Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, sharing its basic styling, engineering, detailing, and fully independent suspension. The 190 SL is powered by an 1897 cc (1.9 Liter) straight four SOHC motor, which was based on the 300 SL's straight six. It has an 85mm bore and 4.3mm reduced 83.6mm stroke, fitted with twin-choke dual Solex carburetors, and produces 120 gross hp. Linked to a 4-speed fully synchronized manual transmission, which feeds power to a 3.90 rear axle, these little roadsters are a blast to drive! The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was technically brilliant in nearly every way, from its pioneering use of fuel injection to its tubular space frame. However, it wasn’t initially offered in an open body style and all of its technical innovation didn’t come cheaply. Mercedes desperately needed a sporting model that could sell at a lower price point. The 190 SL utilized some of the features of the 300 SL like its independent rear suspension, but rather than being built on a light space frame, the 190 SL was built on a shortened sedan platform. In place of the fuel injected six-cylinder was a carbureted four-banger breathing through twin Solex carburetors. The car driving characteristics were more of a boulevardier than a sports car, though it did look quite sporting as it shared a number of styling cues with the 300 SL. It also shared that car’s peerless build quality. For this reason, 190 SLs are nearly as difficult and expensive to restore as the more valuable 300 SL. Values of late have made it less of a labor of love proposition to restore one, but still the best practice is to buy a done car as the costs of even the most minor upgrades and refurbishing can escalate quickly!

This beautiful example is ready to show, or drive & enjoy, but either way you will be hard pressed to find a finer example. The body is laser straight all the way around the car, & the new Ivory white paint is simply flawless with no distractions whatsoever. All of the chrome & stainless trim is show quality throughout w/ no pitting or signs of wear. The black canvas top is in beautiful ‘As New’ condition, goes up & down effortlessly, & the plastic rear window is perfectly clear. The red vinyl boot is also ‘As New’. Simply stated, this is the most beautiful Mercedes-Benz 190 SL that I have ever seen in my life, period.

Slide inside and you will feel like it is 1956 all over again! The interior was fully restored from front to back, with beautiful new red leather seats, new dash pad, new door panels, new gray carpeting, etc. w/ everything appearing factory fresh. The steering wheel is original and in amazing condition for being 60 years old! The radio is aftermarket, but fits in quite nicely with AM/FM & MP3 capabilities. All of the gauges, lights, blinkers, horn, etc., are in perfect working order. Open the trunk and you will find it to be 100% finished, w/ matching gray carpeting, complete w/ spare tire & jack assembly.

Pop open the hood and inside the nicely detailed engine bay resides the original 1.9 Liter straight four cylinder motor, looking very much factory correct throughout. The motor is linked to an original 4-speed fully synchronized manual transmission, feeding power to the original 3.90 rear end. She starts, idles, runs & drives beautifully in every way! The motor has plenty of power & torque, and shifts through all four gears very nicely. There are no known issues whatsoever, no smoke, no dripping, absolutely no problems at all. Again, this beautiful 1956 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL is ready to show at any national level car event, or can be driven anywhere @ anytime w/ no concerns.

The 1956 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL has become highly collectible, and it is becoming harder & harder to find a beautiful example such as this. Prices have been steadily rising, and I believe they will continue to appreciate in value in the coming years. If you have been searching for a classic Mercedes Benz for your collection, or for pleasure, you have found your car!

Enclosed shipping is available anywhere in the world at the buyer’s expense. Please do not make an offer on this vehicle unless you have the funds available now and intend to purchase the car. You are more than welcome to inspect this vehicle at any time before the end of the listing. I also reserve the right to end the listing at any time. Please, no emails! A serious buyer will always pick up the phone to discuss the vehicle. If you are a serious buyer and have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to call Steve @ (435) 703-0003 or (435) 628-2866.