Mercedes-Benz 190 SL

The Mercedes-Benz 190 SL, internally W121 BII, is a two-door luxury roadster that Mercedes-Benz produced from May 1955 to February 1963. It was first shown as a prototype at the 1954 New York Auto Show and could be had with an optional removable hardtop. It was a more affordable alternative to the exclusive 300 SL, sharing its basic styling, engineering and fully independent suspension, but its structure used a shortened unitary floorpan modified from the W121 saloon instead of the 300 SL's purpose-built tubular spaceframe. Power came from the Type M121 BII 1.9 litre straight-four overhead camshaft engine with twin-choke dual Solex carburetors. Its top speed of around 170 km/h left its performance wanting against rivals such as the Porsche 356.