Modern Classic: 1955-63 Mercedes-Benz 190SL

To qualify as "modern classics," we're choosing vehicles that are comparatively affordable now and that we think will increase in value over time. These are cars that many people would love to have: head-turners, trend-setters in their time, cars that people still see that make them smile, cars that were definitive in their own right, stylish and fun to drive. We're focusing on cars that are at least 25 years old so they can be registered and insured cheaply and aren't subject to annual inspections.


Tastes may vary, as may people's own definitions of "affordable." Our theoretical limit is $50,000 for a car in good to excellent condition, which rules out many of the traditional exotics. This month's selection is the 1955-63 Mercedes-Benz 190SL.

History
Today, Mercedes-Benz battles BMW's Z3 with its SLK two-seat roadster. But the SLK's roots actually go back nearly 50 years.


In the early '50s, the German company's American distributor (and U.S. auto-market expert), Max Hoffman, recognized a niche for a semi-luxurious little roadster. When Daimler-Benz's engineers elected to modify the prosaic, unibody 180 sedan to create the sporty convertible he craved, Hoffman protested. He was certain that adapting a sedan for his pet project would fail. "Das wird nichts," was his outspoken reply to Fritz Nallinger's proposal: "Nothing will come of that." As it turned out, the 190SL (for Sports and Light) proved to be a moderate sales success, even though it wasn't a high-powered sports roadster. The car also set a precedent for the future SL direction.


The diminutive 190SL intentionally resembled a scaled-down 300SL roadster, complete with horizontal grille, wheelwell "eyebrows," and alloy doors, hood and trunk. Front suspension was independent, unequal-length wishbones and coil springs. The 190 low-pivot swing axle was similar to the unit in the bigger 300 SLs but that's where the resemblance ended. The 190's buzzy 2-liter, SOHC four, a twin-carb, 105-bhp (DIN), souped-up version of the 180, was perched on a subframe that could be separated from the main chassis (along with the front suspension and four-speed manual transmission) for ease of service. Brakes were vacuum servo-assisted drums.