As the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover. A true rustbucket that crossed the auction block last week, a most deplorable shell of a car missing essential parts, is a good example in this sense.
Mercedes-Benz made over 25,000 190 SL two-door luxury roadsters during the 1955-1963 production run, and only two percent of those were right-hand-drive. For the 1961 model year, 3,792 units rolled off the production line, of which 562 were in right-hand configuration. The shell featured in the gallery above and in the video at the bottom of the page was one of them, which earns it the much-coveted distinction of an automotive unicorn.
It’s a unicorn that has seen far better days, but it still sold at a unicorn-y price. Offered as a barn find and a most exciting restoration project by H&H Classics, this 1961 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL was bought by the seller in 1989, so it’s been off the road for at least 33 years. Even then, it was not in top-notch condition, as the seller and her father bought it specifically to restore it. The father had experience with 190 SLs and was going to use it for this father-daughter joint project.
The car was rolled into a garage where work should have started right away. Other projects kept pushing this one farther down the line, and by the time the duo went to check in on it, the engine, the gearbox, and the rear axle (and possibly other, smaller stuff) were missing. The seller told the auction house that employees at the garage had taken apart the car and sold off the parts.
As some form of belated damage control, the seller moved what was left of the 190 SL into dry storage, where it would remain for more than three decades. When she eventually decided to sell it, so it could “return to its former glory in her lifetime,” it looked like this: a disassembled rustbucket missing the heart but still with original parts.
The initial estimate for the car was between £25,000 and £35,000 ($31,300 and $43,900 at the current exchange rate), but it actually fetched more money, with the hammer dropping at £38,250 ($48,000). The fact that it’s such a rare unit that still has many original parts, down to the glass for the windshield, and that it could be worth as much as £200,000 ($250,800) once restored drove up the interest in it.
A 190 SL in excellent condition is worth upwards of £100,000 ($125,500), but one doesn’t come across too often. H&H Classics' record for a public auction is for £224,250 ($282,000), on a restored 190 LS that sold in November 2021.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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