Mercedes-Benz 190 SL

Last updated

Mercedes-Benz 190 SL
MB 190 SL am 2006-07-16 (ret kl).JPG
Overview
Manufacturer Daimler-Benz
Production1955–1963
25,881 built [1]
AssemblyWest Germany: Stuttgart Untertürkheim
Body and chassis
Class Sports car / Grand tourer
Body style roadster
Layout FR layout
Platform Mercedes-Benz W121
Related Mercedes-Benz W198 (300 SL)
Mercedes-Benz W120/121
Powertrain
Engine 1,897 cc M121 SOHC I4
Transmission 4-speed manual, fully synchronized
Dimensions
Wheelbase 2,400 mm (94.5 in)
Length4,390 mm (172.8 in)
Width1,740 mm (68.5 in)
Height1,320 mm (52.0 in)
Curb weight 2,552 lb (1,158 kg)
Chronology
Successor Mercedes-Benz W113 (230SL)
See Mercedes-Benz SL-Class for a complete overview of all SL-Class models.
Interior Mercedes-Benz W121BII 1X7A0281.jpg
Interior

The Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (W121) is a two-door luxury roadster produced by Mercedes-Benz between May 1955 and February 1963. Internally referred to as W121 (BII or B2), it was first shown in prototype at the 1954 New York Auto Show, and was available with an optional removable hardtop.

Contents

The 190 SL presented an attractive, more affordable alternative to the exclusive Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, sharing its basic styling, engineering, detailing, and fully independent suspension. Both cars had double wishbones in front and swing axles at the rear. Instead of the 300 SL's expensive purpose-built W198 tubular spaceframe, the 190 SL's R121 structure used a shortened unitary floorpan modified from the W121 base saloon. [2]

The 190 SL was powered by a new, slightly oversquare 105 PS (77 kW; 104 hp) Type M121 BII 1.9 L straight-four SOHC engine. Based on the 300 SL's straight six, [3] it had an unchanged 85 mm bore and 4.3 mm reduced 83.6 mm stroke, was fitted with twin-choke dual Solex carburetors, and produced gross 120 hp (89 kW; 122 PS). [3] In detuned form, it was later used in the W120 180 and W121 190 models.

The car was available either as a soft-top convertible (initially priced at DM 16,500/US$3,998 [4] ) or with removable hardtop (DM 17,650/$4,295). A small third-passenger transverse seat was optional. During its first years the 190 SL was available as a sports-racing model with small perspex windscreen and spartan one-piece leather covered bucket seats and aluminium doors. In 1959, the hardtop's rear window was enlarged.

In 1956, a few six-cylinder prototypes were built for testing. A 190SL with a unique engine, using the 300SL block, squeezed into the engine bay with a one-off mix of Benz-bin parts was entered in the 1956 Alpine Rally, but the costs of production would be prohibitive. Two other prototypes, fitted with fuel injected M180 220SE engines were baptised the W127 / 220SL. In June 1956, Rudi Uhlenhaut and Karl Kling lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in the two W127s 25 seconds faster than a regular 190SL. [5] On 12 April 1957, MB's board decided to build the W127, six-cylinder 220SL alongside the 190SL, but production challenges postponed manufacturing until it was overtaken by the Mercedes-Benz 230SL 'Pagoda'. [6]

Both the 190 SL and the 300 SL were replaced by the 230SL in 1963.

Super-Leicht or Sport-Leicht

Mercedes-Benz did not announce what the abbreviation "SL" meant when the car was introduced.

It is often assumed that the letters stand for Sport Leicht. One car magazine in 2012 declared that the abbreviation "SL" - "securitized and personally signed by Rudolf Uhlenhaut" meant Super Leicht. [7] This contradicts another source, written in close cooperation with Rudolf Uhlenhaut, which stated that the abbreviation meant Sport Leicht. [8]

Mercedes-Benz used both forms until 2017. It was even called Super Super. [9] On the company website it was called Sport Leicht until 2017 and then changed to Super Leicht. [10]

For a long time it was unclear what intention the company had at the time when assigning the letter combination. It was not until the beginning of 2017 that a chance finding in the corporate archive, from the early part of 1952, clarified that at least in the case of the 300 SL the abbreviation SL stood for Super-Leicht. [11]

1961 Mercedes Benz 190 SL - silver - rvr.jpg
1962 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL fitted with softtop
Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F013679-0008, Afrikanische Botschafter in Deutschland, Mercedes 190 SL.jpg
1962 Mercedes-Benz 190SL with removable hardtop

Technical data

Technical data Mercedes-Benz 190 SL [1] (Manufacturer's figures except where stated)
Mercedes-Benz190 SL
Produced: 1955–1963
Engine:  4-cylinder-inline engine (four-stroke), front-mounted
Bore x Stroke: 85 mm x 83.6 mm
Displacement: 1897 cc
Max. Power @ rpm: 105 PS (77 kW; 104 hp) @ 5700
Max. Torque @ rpm: 142 N⋅m (105 lb⋅ft) @ 3200
Compression Ratio: 8.5: 1, from 09/59 8.8:1
Fuel feed: twin two barrel sidedraft carburetors – Solex 44PHH
Fuel tank capacity: 65 L (17.2 US gal; 14.3 imp gal)
Valvetrain:  SOHC, duplex chain
Cooling: Water
Gearbox: 4-speed manual, lever between seats
rear-wheel drive, standard axle ratio 3.90:1
Electrical system: 12-volt[ citation needed ]
Front suspension: Double wishbones, coil springs, stabilizing bar
Rear suspension:: Swing axle, coil springs
Brakes: Drum brakes (Ø 230 mm), power assisted
Steering: Recirculating ball steering
Body structure: Sheet steel, uni-body construction
Dry weight: 1,160 kg (2,560 lb) (Hardtop: + 20 kg (44 lb))
Loaded weight: 1,400 kg (3,100 lb), from 1961 1,440 kg (3,170 lb)
Track front/
rear: 
1,430 mm (56.3 in)1,475 mm (58.1 in)
Wheelbase: 2,400 mm (94.5 in)
Length: 4,290 mm (168.9 in)
Width: 1,740 mm (68.5 in)
Height: 1,320 mm (52.0 in)
Tyre/Tire sizes: 6.40–13 Sport
Top speed: 173 km/h (107 mph)
Fuel Consumption (estimate): 12.5 litres per 100 kilometres (22.6 mpgimp; 18.8 mpgUS)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren</span> Grand tourer jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is a grand tourer jointly developed by German automotive manufacturer Mercedes-Benz and British automobile manufacturer McLaren Automotive and sold from 2003 to 2010. When the car was developed, Mercedes-Benz owned 40 per cent of the McLaren Group and the car was produced in conjunction between the two companies. SLR is an abbreviation for "Sport Leicht Rennsport", a homage to the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR which served as the car's inspiration. The car was offered in coupé, roadster and speedster bodystyles with the latter being a limited edition model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz 300 SL</span> Mercedes gullwinged coupe (1954–1957) and roadster (1957–1963)

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL is a two-seat sports car that was produced by Mercedes-Benz from 1954 to 1957 as a gullwinged coupé and from 1957 to 1963 as a roadster. The 300 SL traces its origins to the company's 1952 racing car, the W194, and was equipped with a mechanical direct fuel injection system that significantly increased the power output of its three-liter overhead camshaft straight-six engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz SL-Class</span> Motor vehicle

The Mercedes-Benz SL-Class is a grand touring sports car manufactured by Mercedes-Benz since 1954. The designation SL derives from the German Sport-Leicht.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz W120/W121</span> Motor vehicle

The Mercedes-Benz W120 and Mercedes-Benz W121 are technically similar inline-four cylinder sedans made by Daimler-Benz. The W120 was first introduced by Mercedes-Benz in 1953. Powered initially by the company's existing 1.8 liter M136 engine, it was sold as the Mercedes-Benz 180 through 1962. From 1954, Mercedes-Benz also offered the W120 with a diesel engine as the Mercedes-Benz 180 D. The Mercedes-Benz W121 was introduced as the Mercedes-Benz 190 in 1956, powered by a 1.9 liter M121 engine. From 1958, the W121 was also offered with an OM621 engine, sold as the Mercedes-Benz 190 D through 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz R107 and C107</span> Mercedes-Benz from 1971 through 1989

The Mercedes-Benz R107 and C107 are sports cars which were produced by Mercedes-Benz from 1971 until 1989, being the second longest single series ever produced by the automaker after the G-Class. They were sold under the SL (R107) and SLC (C107) model names as the 280SL, 280SLC, 300SL, 350SL, 350SLC, 380SL, 380SLC, 420SL, 450SL, 450SLC, 450SLC 5.0, 500SL, 500SLC and 560SL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz SL-Class (R129)</span> Roadster which was produced by Mercedes-Benz from 1989 until 2001.

The Mercedes-Benz R129 SL is a roadster which was produced by Mercedes-Benz from 1989 until 2001. The R129 replaced the R107 in 1989 and was in its turn replaced by the R230 SL-Class in 2002 for the 2003 model year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz W113</span> Car model

The Mercedes-Benz W 113 is a two-seat roadster/coupé, introduced at the 1963 Geneva Motor Show, and produced from 1963 through 1971. It replaced both the 300 SL (W 198) and the 190 SL (W 121 BII). Of the 48,912 W 113 SLs produced, 19,440 were sold in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz M104 engine</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Mercedes-Benz M104 is a straight-6 automobile engine produced from 1989 through 1999. It has a double overhead cam design with 4 valves per cylinder, and used a crossflow cylinder head. It replaced the M103 and was replaced by the M112 V6 starting in 1997. The bore spacing on all M104 engines is the same as M103 engines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BMW 507</span> Motor vehicle

The BMW 507 is a grand touring convertible that was produced by German automobile manufacturer BMW from 1956 until 1959. Initially intended to be exported to the United States at a rate of thousands per year, it ended up being too expensive, resulting in a total production figure of 252 cars and heavy financial losses for BMW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR</span> 1955 racing car

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (W 196 S) is a two-seat sports racing car that took part in the 1955 World Sportscar Championship before a catastrophic crash and fire at Le Mans later that year ended its domination prematurely. The car was designated "SL-R", which was later condensed to "SLR". Technically, the W 196 S is based on the W 196 R, but has a slightly different engine, displacing 3 litres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz Ponton</span> Motor vehicle

The Mercedes-Benz "Ponton" series are a range of sedans / saloon car models from Daimler-Benz, introduced starting in 1953, and subsequently nicknamed 'Ponton', referring to its ponton styling, a prominent styling trend that unified the previously articulated hood, body, fenders and runnings boards into a singular, often slab-sided envelope. At the time, Mercedes itself did not refer to any of its cars using the nickname.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz W189</span> Motor vehicle

The Mercedes-Benz W189 model 300 was a four-door luxury tourer produced by Mercedes-Benz between 1957 and 1962. It was the company's flagship model at the time, equivalent to the modern S-Class and Maybach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz W188</span> Two-door luxury sports tourer produced by Mercedes-Benz between 1951 and 1958.

The Mercedes-Benz W188 was a two-door luxury sports tourer produced by Mercedes-Benz between 1951 and 1958. The company's most expensive and exclusive automobiles, the elegant, hand-built 300 S (1951-1954) and its successor 300 Sc (1955-1958) were the pinnacle of the Mercedes line of their era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz W112</span> Car model

The Mercedes-Benz W112 is a luxury automobile produced by Mercedes-Benz from 1961 to 1967. Marketed as the 300SE, it was available as a coupé, convertible, sedan, and stretched sedan (Lang), all generally similar in appearance to the corresponding Mercedes-Benz W111.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rudolf Uhlenhaut</span> British-German engineer (1906–1989)

Rudolf Uhlenhaut was a British-German engineer, driving engineer for Mercedes-Benz, and the father of Mercedes-Benz 300 SL and 300 SLR. He had a long association with the Mercedes-Benz racing programme of the 1930s and 1950s, and is best known for his road legal Uhlenhaut Coupé version of the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SLR race car.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz W194</span> Mercedes-Benz entry for the 1952 Sportscar racing season, its first after World War II

The Mercedes-Benz W194 is an endurance racer produced by Mercedes-Benz for the 1952 Sportscar racing season, its first after World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz SL-Class (R231)</span> Motor vehicle

R231 is a chassis code for the sixth generation of the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class roadster, replacing the R230. The car was released in March 2012 and uses Mercedes-Benz's new 4.7 litre twin turbo V8 engine with a power output of 435 PS. AMG version of the roadster will follow. The new SL is 140 kg (309 lb) lighter than the previous, being made almost entirely out of aluminium. For the first time, the R231 SL-Class was not available with a non-AMG V12 engined SL 600 model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG</span> Car model

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is a front mid-engine, 2-seater, limited production grand tourer developed by the Mercedes-AMG division of German automotive manufacturer Mercedes-Benz, with the assistance of David Coulthard. The car is the successor to the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren and was described by Mercedes-Benz as a spiritual successor to the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, mainly because it was inspired by the latter. SLS stands for "Super Leicht Sport".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz M121 engine</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Mercedes-Benz M121 engine was a 1.9 liter single overhead camshaft inline four-cylinder engine introduced by Mercedes in 1955 and used in various model lines during the 1950s and 1960s. Originally rated at 56 kW at 5500 rpm, it replaced the 1.8 liter M136 introduced in 1935, offering improved performance over the M136's side camshaft design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz M186 engine</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Mercedes Benz M186 Engine was a 3.0–litre single overhead camshaft inline-6 developed in the early 1950s to power the company's new flagship 300 "Adenauer" (W186) four-door saloon. It made its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in April 1951.

References

  1. 1 2 Oswald, Werner (2001). Deutsche Autos 1945–1990, Band 4. Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN   978-3-613-02131-0.
  2. "RitzSite Mercedes-Benz 190 SL 1955–1963; page 2". Ritzsite.net. 2002. Archived from the original on 5 April 2006. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  3. 1 2 Smith, Maurice A., ed. (28 October 1966). "Used cars on test:1960 Mercedes-Benz 190SL Coupé". Autocar. 125. No. 3689. pp. 944–945.
  4. Covello, Mike (2002), Standard Catalog of Imported Cars 1946–2002, Iola, WI: Krause Publication, p. 528, ISBN   0-87341-605-8
  5. 1950s Mercedes-Benz 190SL Development | HowStuffWorks
  6. Mercedes-Benz W127 | HowStuffWorks
  7. Übler, Jochen (19 April 2012). "Trimm's Leicht". Auto, Motor und Sport, Mercedes SL-Spezial 2012 (in German). No. 10. pp. 14–17. ISSN   0005-0806.
  8. Engelen, Günter; Riedner, Mike; Seufert, Hans-Dieter (1999), Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (in German) (2 ed.), p. 31, ISBN   978-3-613-01268-4
  9. Lingnau, Gerold (2002). "300SL – Die Ikone wird fünfzig". Mercedes-Benz Classic (in German). No. 1. pp. 10–22. ISSN   1610-8043.
  10. media.dailercom; Motorsport als Zündfunke: Der Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Rennsportwagen der Baureihe W 194 (1952–1953), aufgerufen am 25. Juli 2017.
  11. Foto: Dokument des Namenvorschlags in: Die Zeit, 14. April 2017.

Further reading