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  • Mercedes - Mercedes 190 SL
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Mercedes - Mercedes 190 SL

Mercedes
Mercedes 190 SL
1957
Verkocht - Sold - Verkauft
Margin
Silver Metallic
1897 cc 4 cylinder
ca. 130 hp

First class restored Mercedes 190SL in Rennsport trim

In the fifties Mercedes and there customers were very successful racing the 300SL's in various events around the globe. Because of the high price of the 300SL many drivers of the time were not able to buy one. For these drivers Mercedes developed the 190 SL Rennsport or Clubsport editions. This enabled these customers to enter local race events and hill climbs.

Mercedes concentrated their effort on the weight of the car. The Rennsport or racing kit included special aluminum doors without windows and door handles, a small plexiglass windscreen and a lightweight bonnet with extra air-intake. Mercedes advised the Rennsport customers to also remove the front- and rear bumpers, the hood and other unnecessary trim items to reduce weight. Also some engine modifications were available. A 190 SL fitted with the complete racing kit and without redundant trim weighed about 1060 kg, had some 140 hp at its disposal and was capable of a maximum speed exceeding 200 kph.

The Rennsport kit appeared on the options list from the moment the 190 SL became available in 1955, but wasn't very popular. By 1956 it had vanished from the Mercedes catalogue and it's estimated that no more than a dozen kits were ordered.

A problem for racing the 190 SL Rennsport was that it wasn't homologated by the FIA (the international autosport authorities) for the GT class. Instead it had to compete in the production sports car class, where it didn't stand a chance against the far more powerful opposition. Mercedes entered some fuel-injected 190 SL Rennsport cars in the 1955 Mille Miglia and it also scored some class wins at the 1956 Macao Grand Prix and Casablanca Grand Prix. In 1958 a 190 SL Rennsport scored an overall victory in the Hong Kong rally.