1960 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL

The Mercedes-Benz 300SL was the first iteration of the SL-Class grand tourer and the fastest production car of its day. Introduced in 1954 as a two-seat coupé with distinctive gull-wing doors, it was later offered as an open roadster. Hugely successful in Europe and across the pond, coupé and roadster production topped out at 3,258 cars. Its successor, the 190 SL, combined superb build quality with understated styling and a not insignificant 104bhp from the 1.9-litre four stroke engine. The 1955 launch of the 190 SL cemented Mercedes-Benz's reputation as the car manufacturer for those who wanted elegance, build quality and a good turn of speed. Unsurprisingly most of the 26,000 units were sold to the North American market and just some 562 were made in right-hand drive.

According to the records within the history file, it appears this delightful 190 SL was first registered in the UK on the 1st December 1960 to its first of four former keepers. The car was then sold to a Mr. A. Hodson of Walsall in September 1981. A new adventure for the car was to start when a Mr. Y. Voniatis of London bought it on the 3rd of January 1992. It appears that Mr. Voniatis took the car to Cyprus, one of the few other right-hand drive countries, and kept it there until his return to British shores. Our vendor bought the car on the 1st July 2016 and commissioned Premium Classic Cars to undertake a restoration.

This restoration, a photographic record of which is included in the file, included attention to corrosion, electrics, a new radiator, a top end rebuild of the engine, fuel pump and a myriad of other jobs, all of which are invoiced and receipted in the file. Once the mechanical work was complete, attention was then focused on the rest of the car and it was professionally painted in Mercedes Silver, the interior was fully retrimmed in red leather, and a new hood was fitted. A recent addition to the car was the fitting of power steering, making this great little sports car a doddle to manoeuvre around town.

It is rare to see one UK right-hand drive at auction, let alone two, and we are pleased to be offering two examples in good order, in a choice of white or silver. KVS 245 is presented to auction with an odometer reading of some 24,000 miles, a reading we cannot warrant but is fairly irrelevant in a car of this age that has been superbly restored. In addition to the history there will be the car's current MOT valid until April 2018.