Mercedes-Benz W121 buyer's guide

The 190SL — the elegant, touring answer to the 300SL.

Years: 1955–1963 · Models: 190SL (and the 190 Ponton sedan)

Overview

The 190SL was created for the American market: 300SL looks and manners, tuned for touring rather than racing, on Ponton-derived running gear. About 25,900 were built. The body is steel with aluminium doors, bonnet, and boot lid. Long undervalued beside the 300SL, the 190SL is now firmly collectible, and the market pays close attention to originality — numbers, colours, and the correct carburettors.

Engines

The 1.9-litre M121 overhead-cam four with twin Solex 44PHH side-draft carburettors, producing about 104 horsepower.

What to check

• The twin Solex carburettors: their throttle shafts wear, and worn Solexes are the source of most 190SL running problems. A specialist rebuild is the fix — check whether it has been done.
• That the engine is the correct M121 with its original Solexes and not a sedan engine or a Weber conversion, which the market discounts.
• Rust in the floor pans and rocker panels, and the condition of the aluminium panels, which dent easily and need a specialist to repair well.
• The soft top and its frame, and whether the hardtop (where supplied) is present and correct.
• Front suspension and steering wear, and the correct functioning of the drum brakes on early cars.

Values

Matching numbers, verified against the data card, are close to everything in the 190SL market, together with factory colours and both tops. Cars with documented histories and correct details make strong money; converted or incomplete cars lag well behind, however shiny.

Buying tips

Verify the engine number against the data card before anything else, and drive the car long enough for the Solexes to show their state — a short run around the block hides their worst behaviour.

See the 81 W121 cars currently listed.