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The 300 SL replacement - Mercedes 190 SL in the (historic) test

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Created on November 30, 1955

Reading time 11min

Written by:

Motor-Rundschau

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Mercedes-Benz Cars

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Archiv

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Mercedes-Benz Cars

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Archiv

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1958) - offen am schönsten, die Bezeichnung Roadster war allerdings nicht adäquat

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1956) - Das Dach lässt sich auch von einer einzelnen Person öffnen

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1956) - Elegante vom 300 SL beeinflusste Karosserie-Form

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1956) - 190 SL mit Coupé-Dach

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1956) - Einladendes Interieur mit Kübelsitzen vorne

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1955) - Einstieg in das Cabrio mit aufgesetztem Coupé-Dach

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1955) - Interieur des Touren-Sportwagens

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1956) - Am Lenkrad des 190 SL

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1956) - Vollgepackter Motorraum

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1955) - Blick in den Motorraum des Touren-Sportwagens

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1956) - Die Rücksitze sind gut zugänglich

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1956) - Kofferraum und Ersatzrad

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1956) - Überdachter Raudausschnitt

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1957) - der Tourensportwagen mit aufgesetztem Hardtop begegnet automobiler Historie in Form eines Citroën Légère

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1955) - der Tourensportwagen

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1957) - im Rückspiegel hielt wohl mancher den kleineren 190 SL für einen 300 SL

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1956) - mit aufgesetztem Hardtop

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1957) - Silhouette des deutschen Tourensportwagens

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1957) - schmucke Erscheinung

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1957) - mit aufgesetztem Hardtop

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1959) - Der SL mit dem neuen Coupé-Dach mit vergrössertem Heckfenster

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1955) - der Touren-Sportwagen mit geschlossenem Stoffdach

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1958) - das Werk nannte diese Ausführung 190 SL Coupé

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1955) - Durchsichtzeichnung des 190 SL Roadsters

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1957) - Stoffdach geschlossen

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1957) - der Wagen wirkt etwas jünger als der grössere Bruder 300 SL

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1954) - Prototyp - die Windschutzscheibe kann durch einen kleinen Windschutz ersetzt werden, die Türen sind leichter, so soll der 190 SL 190 km pro Stunde erreichen können)

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Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (1954) - diese auf Motorsportveranstaltungen ausgelegte Variante kommt mit kleinem Plexiglas-Windschutz und erleichterten Türen aus

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Mercedes 190 SL (1955) - Internationale Automobilausstellung (IAA) in Frankfurt 1955 - Abnehmbares Coupédach beim 190 SL

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Der Mercedes-Benz 300 SL und 190 SL dominieren den Stand des Importeurs Maximilian Hoffman auf der New Yorker „International Motor Sports Show“, die am 6. Februar 1954 eröffnet wird.

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Mecedes-Benz 190 SL (1956) - Abbildung aus einem zeitgenössischen Prospekt

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Summary

The Mercedes-Benz 190 SL was the 300 SL for all those who could not afford the expensive super sports car. However, these words are by no means intended to denigrate the 190 SL - quite the opposite. It offered good driving performance and a chic design at a reasonable price. This report reproduces the original wording of an intensive test from 1955 and supplements it with historical images and brochures.

This article contains the following chapters

Handsome and sporty
Rating
Marking: Mercedes-Benz type "190 SL"
test

Estimated reading time: 11min

Preview (beginning of the article)

"Mercedes-Benz, Type 190 SL" is the dream of thousands for whom the "300 SL" is out of reach. In order to clearly check whether the "190 SL" is the right car for you, it must be clearly marked: It is a pure two-seater with two fully adequate luggage compartments (behind the seats and in the rear), an open car with a convertible top that is lowered and (or) a removable coupe top if desired. The "190 SL" is a sporty car, despite its 1150 kg, thanks to its beautiful, very low, streamlined shape, the spirited l.9 L 105 hp engine, the optimally tuned, lock-synchronized four-speed gearbox, the effective brakes with turbo cooling, the single-joint rear axle, the wide track and thus superior road and cornering performance. The figures speak for themselves, and to give you an even better picture, we have included the corresponding figures for the "220" (a spacious touring car) in brackets. Top speed around 170 (150) km/h, acceleration from 0 to 80 km/h in 10.5 (12) and from 0 to 100 km/h in 14 (18) seconds. However, the "190 SL" is also a touring car, as the engine is extremely smooth and you hardly need to change gear more than usual. Even in fourth gear, it still runs smoothly up to around 40 km/h! The steering, brakes and gearshift are very easy and precise to operate. However, in this sporty car we have to do without the soft suspension and very quiet engine running that are special features of modern touring cars. The suspension of the "190 SL" is deliberately hard and provides the road contact desired by sports car drivers with very firm cornering and minimal body lean when cornering. The flat leather seats of the open-top roadster are also firm and sporty. In short, this is something special: it is a two-seater sports car with many of the characteristics of a touring car.

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