A sedan soul in a sporty bundle, the ’63 Mercedes-Benz 190SL holds a novel place in automotive historical past.
Her Majesty’s Secret Speedster
The Mercedes-Benz 190 SL debuted in 1955, one of many preliminary Mercedes-Benz fashions to come back out of rebuilt factories that have been destroyed in WW2. Debuting stateside on the 1954 New York Auto Present, the automobile was among the many first to meld roadster efficiency sensibility and a luxurious way of life. As such it was marketed not essentially as a race automobile however, relatively cleverly as a “sports activities tourer.”
Pictures Courtesy of Motorious
Crimson Satan Daybreak
Simply over 10,000 of those automobiles —10,368 to be exact —have been imported to the American market. Simply what number of stay is a matter of debate, nevertheless it’s like lower than a thousand. This specific mannequin has a hearth engine pink paint job, which, whereas restored, is equivalent to its authentic hue. The tan-colored soft-top convertible roof makes the shiny pink paint rather less extreme whereas including to the automobile’s classic look. Skinny chrome bumpers enable the attention to separate the upper entrance and decrease rear wheel wells.
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Sporting Society
The automobile’s front-engine or “FR” structure was comparatively new for Mercedes-Benz on the time. The engine is enclosed in an elongated entrance hood which incorporates a spectacularly ornate chrome bumper. The famed Mercedes-Benz brand is constructed throughout the grille, which is bordered by two chrome-wrapped spherical headlamps —a traditional sports activities automobile look that has impressed quite a few imitators.
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Classic Vroom
The automobile’s 1.9-liter single overhead camshaft inline four-cylinder engine has been restored and has service information relationship again to 1994. Mercedes-Benz’s pioneering inclusion of its newly developed gas injection system and the automobile’s tubular area body are simply two of the notable engineering feats discovered within the 190SL.
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Substantive Sophistication
The automobile’s inside is considerably Spartan even for the late Nineteen Sixties. The hearth engine pink exterior extends to the sprint and performs properly off the cream-colored inside. One side of the inside was a precursor for future automotive inside designs: twin heating sections for each driver and passenger.
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Mannequin Class
Marketed as sporty, however in design and performance extra like a sedan, the 1963 Mercedes-Benz 190SL holds a spot in each the model’s automotive historical past. That mentioned, due to the excessive manufacturing high quality, Mercedes-Benz 190SL’s from this period are notoriously tough and costly to revive —which makes this specific car stand out nicely forward of comparable roadsters from the period.
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