A look at the development of classic car prices using the Mercedes-Benz 190 SL as an example
03/10/2020
The stock markets are going crazy, and trading was even suspended in the USA yesterday. The debacle had already been announced at the weekend, but seemingly completely unaffected by this, three major auctions took place in Amelia Island.
Three Mercedes-Benz 190 SLs came under the hammer, achieving prices of between EUR 81,312 and 96,096 (CHF 85,932 to 101,556).
Because the 190 SL is a relatively frequently traded and also largely standardized car - after all, there was only one engine and only a few equipment variants - this car is naturally well suited for statistical studies.
We have therefore compiled the prices achieved at major auctions in recent years. Each blue dot represents the highest bid at an auction. We have shown the trend with a 2nd order polynomial curve (dashed red line). We have superimposed the development of the German stock market index DAX (fever curve).
Of course, the prices of the 190 SL also fluctuated, but compared to the stock market trend, the performance of the 190 SL appears to be comparatively robust. It is also unlikely that valuations will fall by seven or ten percent overnight, but at the same time SL owners did not benefit from a boom similar to that experienced by the stock markets.
This proves once again that a beautiful old car is more a matter of the heart than an investment. And that's the way it should be ...
