Mercedes 190 SL (1961). A wreck sold for more than €45,000

This Mercedes 190 SL, or rather what’s left of it, has just sold for over €45,000.

In the UK, a Mercedes SL that emerged from a carport after several decades, without an engine and largely stripped of its bones, has just been sold at auction for more than €45,000. This is one of 562 right-hand drive examples.

Of the 25,881 first-generation Mercedes 190 SLs produced between the 1950s and 1960s, only 562 were built with right-hand drive. These versions are therefore particularly rare today, and what is rare is expensive on the collector car market. One of these cars has just changed hands in the UK for £38,250 or around €45,500. When did you know thata 190 SL in good condition usually trades for over €100,000, one could believe in a case. Except that this is a wreck, incomplete moreover.

Mercedes 190 SL exterior wreck — The SL once out of its shelter.

TO READ. Mercedes SL. The saga of the iconic star-studded roadster since 1951

An SL boned by a dishonest garage

The person who has just parted with this SL acquired it in London in 1989, with his father. The convertible was immediately entrusted to a garage while these two Mercedes enthusiasts completed the restoration of another vehicle.

Mercedes 190 SL axle wreck — The only remaining axle is dismantled.

But those who had been entrusted with the custody of the sportswoman dismantled it and notably sold the engine, the gearbox and one of the axles. The owner of the car managed to recover it, but the illness that came to affect his father led to the storage of the roadster for an indefinite period.

Mercedes 190 SL body wreck — The car was almost completely stripped…

Mercedes 190 SL wreck parts — …fortunately, some pieces still come with it.

Ruined wreck or restoration project?

It is therefore after three decades of oblivion in a shelter that this Mercedes 190 SL has just seen the light of day again to be put up for sale by H And H. The body has taken on the color of rust, the remaining axle is dismantled and the list of parts still present is probably quicker to make than that of the missing elements.

This obviously did not discourage the buyer, who may well have to double down if he intends to restore the car. A portion of the sale price is to be donated to charity, to help in the fight against vascular dementia in honor of the seller’s now deceased father.