Makes and Models: 190SL

The Mercedes SL series appeared specifically for stylish and high-speed driving fans. Particularly, the 190SL was a more affordable, but no less stylish alternative to the expensive 300SL. Both of these models were developed primarily for the American market at the initiative of the company’s New York distributor Max Hoffman.

Source: The MB Market

The legendary German automaker introduced the 190SL roadster in the mid-fifties as a more democratic version of the legendary 300SL Gullwing sports car. The visual resemblance to the prototype and similar running gear components were retained, with the new R121 platform and the new M121B 4-cylinder engine. From the very beginning, the model was intended for the American market, thus opening a new tradition of post-war Mercedes-Benz to produce compact roadsters. The press and the public accepted the model with enthusiasm. Moreover,  in terms of demand, it even bypassed the luxurious 300SL  twice. The initiator of the 190SL and 300SL projects was Maximilian (“Maxi”) E. Hoffman, the importer of Mercedes-Benz in the USA, who foresaw a great demand for cars of this type.

The origins

Source: Kazagrandy

The American auto market of the 50s was full of huge and “voracious” cars․ But local importer of European cars Maximilian Hoffmann had a hunch that the market needed elegant and compact roadsters. With these thoughts in mind, he turned to Mercedes with a request to create a compact sports model, and even invested his own money in development, risking his name and finances. Fortunately, the “mischief managed.” The prototype was introduced at the New York Auto Show in 1954,  and the serial version – in 1955, at the Geneva Motor Show. 

The abbreviation SL opened as “Sportlich Leicht” as the roadster weighed little more than a ton, and its swift appearance betrayed a sporty character. The 190th immediately attracted new buyers. It was based on a modified 190 sedan (W121) platform with a 2400 mm wheelbase and equipped with an in-line 4-cylinder SOHC cast iron engine with a volume of 1897 cm3 with two Solex carburetors, developing 105 hp. The suspension was fully independent on springs, with double wishbones at the front and swinging semi-axes at the rear, the brakes were hydraulic drums, and the gearbox was a 4-speed manual, fully synchronized.

The 1959 model year

Source: Wikimedia Commons

The 1959 Mercedes-Benz 190SL introduced a brand new 1.9-liter, 4-cylinder engine featuring an overhead camshaft, delivering a power output of 105 hp. This engine propelled the car from 0 to 100 km/h in 14.5 seconds, achieving a remarkable top speed of 170 km/h, which was highly impressive for that era. Furthermore, the German-engineered powertrain was known for its reliability and fuel efficiency, with a consumption rate of 8 liters per 100 km, making it suitable for any driver. In addition, this elegant automobile became a favorite of the American bohemia, particularly such legends as Frank Sinatra and Ringo Star. In total, 25,881 people bought this model in eight years of production. However, taking into account inheritance and sales in the secondary market, this tenacious baby had more owners. In 1959, in addition to the convertible, a “coupe” with a removable aluminum hardtop was also available with a wider rear window, which made it possible to significantly improve visibility. The automobile had an aluminum long hood, a trunk lid, a pontoon-type body, horizontal grille with a large three-beam star. The 190SL was a two-seat roadster with the option of a transverse third seat and had conventional doors, unlike the 300SL. It cost 16,500 marks ($3,998) with a soft top and 17,650 marks ($4,295) with a removable hardtop. For racing, the buyer could order a special modification with a small plexiglass windshield, aluminum doors, and a lightweight interior. In any body type, this roadster was one of the most successful creations of Mercedes designers.

Did you know?

Source: Tom Hartley Jnr

Grace Kelly was one of the 190th celebrity owners, who loved to drive it on Monaco roads.

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The Mercedes-Benz 190 SL, an open roadster, was introduced in 1954 at the New York Auto Show along with the 300 SL. It became an international benchmark, setting the style for sporty elegance. 

Source: Diariomotor

The German roadster 190 SL was the “younger brother “of the legendary 300 SL (W 198) and was produced from 1955 to 1963. Even though the main star of the New York Auto Show was officially considered a truly sporty 300 SL, 190 The SL was not lost at all against its background, invariably interesting to the press and visitors. The official dealer of the German automaker in the USA, Maximilian Hoffmann triumphed. After all, it was his idea to risk his name and capital by insisting on the development of a new class of roadsters for the American bohemia. Hoffmann boldly threw these vehicles to conquer the complex American market, dominated by huge “monsters” and did not lose. The audience greeted the models with a bang and stood in line for new cars. Moreover, if the 300SL was a finished car, the 190SL was still too raw, and its final version was presented only at the Geneva Motor Show in 1955.

The origins

Source: Drives.today

At the turn of the 1950s, the German automotive industry and its prominent representative, Mercedes Benz, gradually recovered from the Second World War. The company already felt that pre-war models, “urban” sidecars, and budget sedans were not enough for customers. The company started a broad wave of lineup updates and attempted to revive the national motorsport, looking for new, richer markets that could accept new products and invest in further developments. In general, for the European car industry, the North American market was an attractive one, where Germans turned. While the racing version of the famous 300SL was slowly gaining popularity in motorsport, a few road versions were exported to the States, increasing the company’s ratings in showrooms. One of the official dealers of the company in the United States was Maximilian Edwin Hoffmann, who offered the company to produce a similar car, only at a more affordable price and on a simpler chassis. His proposal was heard, and by the end of 1952, the development of a “junior” supercar began. The aerodynamic design was developed in September 1953 by designers Karl Wilfert and Walter Häcker, and stylistically repeated the streamlined body of the 300SL (unlike the latter, it received a load-bearing body instead of a tubular space frame).

The first “One Hundred Ninety”

Source: Drives.today

In 1955, Mercedes-Benz released a simplified model 190SL  (W121): with an external resemblance to the “three hundred”, it had a completely different platform and a 1.9-liter four-cylinder engine, unified with the W120 / 121 series sedan cost-cutting. About 26 thousand of these automobiles were produced against about three thousand  300SL. “Geneva” Mercedes-Benz 190SL was significantly different from New York. The serial of the model received a new engine, lost the air intake protruding above the hood, the rear lights were completely changed on it, as well as the shape of the front and rear fenders. Preparation for serial production was carried out at the Sindelfingen plant from the beginning of 1955, and already in mid-May, the “One Hundred and Ninety” went into series. The car was equipped with a 1.9 liter, 4-cylinder, carbureted, gasoline engine with an overhead camshaft, with a capacity of 105 hp. It developed 100 km/h in 14.5 seconds, reaching a maximum speed of 170 km/h. It was the best achievement for a roadster of that period. 

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Rosemarie Nitribitt with her 1955 190 SL

Source: Please Kill Me

In Germany, the car was nicknamed “Nitribitt-Mercedes” after its “most famous” owner, Rosemarie Nitribitt, who was an elite prostitute based in Frankfurt. Her client list included wealthy and powerful people of high society. However, being a protege of these people didn’t spare her life: in the fall of 1957, 24-year-old Nitribitt was found dead. No trace of the killers (or rather customers). Whether she knew too much, or she was blackmailing someone powerful, nobody knows. But this was one of the first scandals in the Federal Republic. Nitribitt’s association with this automobile in some way spoiled the reputation of the model. Even a film was released in 1958 about this woman, which again led to a noticeable but temporary drop in demand for “One Hundred Ninety”.

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