Mercedes-Benz 190 SL two-seaters turn up fairly often here on Barn Finds. And as you would expect, most are true barn finds and look the part. This 1959 version is no different, it has been sitting since the ’80s and it’s rough around the edges. This example is located in Baraboo, Wisconsin and is available here on craigslist for $45,500. Let’s check it out and thank Ikey H. for this find.

My experience with 190 SLs is pretty limited. I had a friend in high school who had a ’59, similar to this example, and he managed to wreck it senior week by plowing into the side of a hill at high speed. This was long ago, and the car was rough to start with, and rougher still after its forced stop. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt. My ex-brother-in-law had a ’63 that sorta ran but it always had some kind of foible occurring, and since he wasn’t much of a wrench, he let it go after years of boogering on it. This too was many years ago and back then, 190s were just interesting old cars that traded nowhere near the values that they attain today. While not exactly rare – there were about 25K produced between 1955 and 1963 (2,700 on average per year), they’re not exactly common-place either.

The seller states that this Mercedes was “redone” years ago; it looks like it will need a redo again and he admits as much suggesting that a full restoration is in order. The body panels are straight but rust abounds, surface in nature and rust-through as well. Also, note what appears to be very thick and cracked Bondo on the front passenger fender. There is evidence of more in other places so a restoration, or a redo, is going to involve a whole lot of undo first. Ditto the chrome, it will need to be stripped and re-chromed. The removable hardtop, which is a nice inclusion, appears to be in good nick and there is a folding top frame included too but it is minus its canvas.

The interior is in fair shape but it’s moldy – evidence of poor storage. Nevertheless, the tan seat upholstery probably needs nothing more than a thorough cleaning. The instrument panel is interesting in that it is finished in a hue of dark red that does not match the exterior, perhaps something related to the seller’s claim of an earlier restoration. From what can be seen of the instrument panel, it appears to be intact with the exception of one, unoccupied opening in the glove box door, probably the clock’s location. The carpet is all in place but pulling it back to get a look at the floors would be a worthwhile effort. The seller mentions that the hardtop’s original headliner is in good shape; there is an accompanying image to support this claim.

The moldy condition continues under the hood. The 104 HP, 2.0 liter, four-cylinder engine appears to have not turned a revolution in many moons. Minus the battery, it looks to be all there but the new owner should count on having to perform, at the least, a restoration of the fuel system i.e. pump, tank, lines, and carburetors. It would be good to know if the engine will turn over but mum’s the word on that front. A four-speed manual transmission gets the power to the rear wheels.

The observable corrosion, and the noted mold, are cause for concern from a rust perspective. Specifically, the reinforced portions of the unibody should be checked closely for rot. While a bit ratty, this 190 SL is in much better condition than several that I have reviewed in the past, some that looked like they were beyond redemption, hardly the case here. A quick look around reveals asking prices from $75K (very nice condition) to $225K for a high zoot suit, Concours condition car. Considering this car’s originality, and the asking price, a full restoration on this example may make reasonable sense. Of course, I’ve been known to be wrong, way wrong, on restoration costs. What do you think, would this ’59 190 SL make for a project worth undertaking?