The vehicle that we are offering for auction is a rare and highly sought after 190SL .

The 190SL is the younger sibling to the 300SL gull wing coupe and roadster.

The w121 190SL was produced from 1955 until 1962. It was replaced by the w113 230sl pagoda in 1963.

The 190SL was largely produced at the behest of then MB importer and foreign car king, Max Hoffman in New York.

Mr. Hoffman felt that there was a desire in post war America for small "affordable" sports car. I use the term affordable loosely, as the car with a hard top was $4,295 dollars at its launch in 1955, or , roughly the price of four 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air models ($1095). And translated into today's dollars, around $130,000.

At end of production in 1962 the 190SL with hard top was $5295.00.

Max Hoffman, was the de facto american importer of Mercedes-Benz , Porsche , VW , and a few other marques of the day, and he had such a relationship with Mercedes-Benz, that he actually convinced them to build the 190SL for the American market.

As it turned out, the 190SL was one of the most successful sports cars for Mercedes-Benz to date, as they sold 25,881 units and out sold the more expensive 300SL coupe and roadster by eight to one.

The 190SL was produced at Stuttgart , and was produced by hand, in place , along side the 300SL and shared many of the same parts (ie seats, hub cabs, dash items, trim, etc)

As you can see, the production line at Stuttgart in 1958 was a progressive workforce. Note the 300SL production line directly next to the 190SL.

The vehicle that I am offering here today is a nice , un-restored, two owner vehicle from Memphis,Tennessee.

Current mileage is approximately 104,598 kilometers, or approximately 64,850 miles.. (I have the car locked in my garage until the conclusion of this auction).

I acquired this vehicle from the second owner, who purchased it from an obstetrician here in Memphis,TN in 1983 when the car had 96,213 kms. We believe that the obstetrician imported this car from Germany in 1963. This vehicle has been in Memphis, Tennessee its entire life.

I have records from the second owner in 1983 forward, and the car has been garaged most of its life.

Herbert Phillips

800.310.8767

I absolutely love Mercedes-Benz automobiles. I have been buying and selling them for over twenty five years. I have a small collection of cars, and I own over 20 Mercedes-Benz automobiles, personally.

No other automobile commands more attention than this 190SL. I have been driving it around town in the last few weeks in the evenings, and I've never received so much attention in my life. Everyone looks at you as if you were driving a million dollar car? And perhaps I am? One day this very car may actually be worth a million dollars.

In the meantime, it's a great car to drive to a restaurant at night, with the top down.

In my opinion, this is the best color combination available for a classic Mercedes-Benz roadster.

If you want to make an appearance, this is definitely the way to do it!

It's not often that I encounter a 190SL in my daily business, so when I see one, it's an extraordinary day!

I own a car dealership here in Memphis,Tennessee and I deal in Mercedes-Benz automobiles as a regular staple in my daily business.

But my heart isn't exactly in the newer automobiles that I frequently trade.

I love the old Mercedes-Benz of the 1960's and 1970's era.

When this 190 SL crossed my path, I absolutely had to have it!

This is a fantastic find for someone who wants a 190SL with patina.

By no stretch of the imagination is this a restored car, but it's a very nice fifty two year old automobile that one can jump in and drive to work or play.

The car starts within 15 seconds of the touch of a button and the engine runs very well. I have driven this car several times to work, on the highway at 70 miles per hour.That being said, there is a learning curve to driving a fifty two year old car with manual everything and drum brakes!

To the best of my knowledge, this is a car that has been well cared for all of its life. It has been used as a very occasional driver , and only as a pleasure car. It has always been owned by very affluent, high income individuals who kept it as a superfluous country club car.

In the last 31 years, the car has only been driven approximately 8,500 kms ( 5,270 miles) . The car has undergone regular and on-going maintainence all of its life.

In the last 5,000 miles the car has had brakes, complete exhaust system, a clutch and throw out bearing, a complete tune up, new Mercedes-Benz battery and it just had an oil change.

The car starts within 10-15 seconds and has full six bar oil pressure at idle. It has fantastic compression (140PSI at last check) and runs quite well. I do not believe the engine to have ever been rebuilt or apart. The engine performs as a 64k mile Mercedes engine would, and the oil pressure is indicative of such.

The original (and poor) Solex pph carbs were replaced with Webers in 1983 at Mercedes Benz of Memphis when the car had 96,213 kms.

This is a fifty two year old, un-restored automobile , make no mistake. I have never seen another 190SL like this one. You can enjoy this car as is, or you can send it out for restoration and you will have a $350,000 car.

I personally would simply enjoy it as is, patina and all.

As mentioned earlier, this is a European model, so all instrumentation is metric. Odometer reads 104,598 and both trip meter and odometer are fully functional.

Paint is an older re-spray from approximately forty years ago. As you can see , it still has nice reflective properties and the car turns heads wherever she goes. Not a show quality job, but also still quite presentable.

The chrome on the car is quite good. The car is in its original European trim, so all the lights are euro-spec hella lamps.

I have been around this star for my entire life. I grew up with both of my parents driving Mercedes-Benz automobiles. I was driven to school in one. At age 3, I even had the privilege of driving my parents 220S through the kitchen of our home. I feel quite comfortable with these cars, and you will too!

For those of you that are not familiar with the star, this represents MB's pursuit of excellence on Air, Land and Sea.

My receipts date from 1983 to present day. What you see is what you get.

Original 52 year old owner's manual as found in glove box. Still quite crisp and excellent. Key tag is from the early 1960's and reads "Robertson Motors" Memphis,Tennessee. Robertson Motors was the BMW , Mercedes and Rolls-Royce dealer for Memphis in the 1960's and 70's.

Elvis Presley purchased his Mercedes 600 at Robertson Motors!

Here is the vin# for anyone who should need it.

Pricing

Based upon sources such as Hemming's Motors News , and other publications such as The Star, I believe the value of this vehicle to be approximately $128,500 when the low mileage is taken into account. I have the car advertised on Hemming's for $128,500 and I think given the recent auction results, my price is a fair. Nada value is $172,500 for this car with the hard top included.

The 190SL has been declared the most rapidly appreciating vehicle in the world by Hagerty insurance. Prices seem to be all over the place, but one thing is for certain, prices are skyrocketing on these automobiles. I attribute this to the meteoric rise in prices on the 300SL Gull wing. A friend of mine took his "un-restored" 1955 300SL to Monterey about two weeks ago and sold it for $2,530,000. This was much to his surprise , as his expectation was around $1,400,000. But the lofty prices of the Gull wing seem to be propelling the smaller sibling, the 190SL , higher and higher.

Here's a link to his car

Fully restored 190SL examples are selling for well over $300k right now. There has been a reported sale of of a 190SL at $361k last fall in California.

Here's one that just sold last week for $341,000 at the RM Auction in Monterey.

Here is an example of a Silver 190SL that sold last year (2013) for $269k

Here is a car very comparable to mine that sold at Bonham's Quail lodge auction last week for $165k including buyer's premium

click the above photo for a better description.

Here's a nearly identical clone to my car that sold last week at the Gooding and Co auction for $209k including buyer's premium

Offered Without Reserve!

I am offering this vehicle without reserve price. Please bid whatever you feel is a fair price for the vehicle. Bidding shall start at $19.62.

TERMS

By bidding on this vehicle, or by purchasing this vehicle, you agree with and are bound by the following-

In addition to your winning bid, you will pay my dealership a $395.00 document processing fee. The winning bidder shall send 30% of the purchase price and the document fee within 48 hours of auction close. This shall be in the form of certified funds via federal express or bank wire transfer. The balance is due within ten days or whenever the vehicle leaves my hands .I do not ship cod. I am a licensed automobile dealer in Memphis, Tennessee. TN residents shall add 7% sales tax. All others are exempt from TN sales tax. I reserve the right to end this auction at any time at my discretion, as I see fit. The alert will contact me. This sale shall be governed by the laws of Tennessee. The venue of sale is Memphis,Tennessee.

You must resolve all questions prior to bidding. My vehicles are sold as is, where is with out warranty implied or expressed. Please remember that this is a fifty two year old un-restored car with over 60,000 miles. This vehicle will not be perfect . Please expect the vehicle to have defects, and or wear and tear appropriate from use and age.

I am always happy to discuss unusual cars,hence my bidder name, please feel free to contact me at 800-310-8767, my name is Herbert Phillips.

I do not allow bid retractions whatsoever, those violating this rule will be met with negative feedback.Make sure you are fully qualified to purchase. You are entering a legally binding contract. I will persue any non performing bidder to the fullest extent of the law. Once you are the winning high bidder at close of sale, You OWN the car! Just send the funds. No STALLING and NO QUESTIONS. Winning this auction is not an opportunity to inspect this vehicle. All sales are final and no refunds or returns will be given.

With that out of the way, good luck and happy bidding!!!

PS- Shipping is available anywhere, for a nominal fee.

Call me at 800-310-8767 for a quote.