Mercedes-Benz 190 SL · 190 SL (W121 BII)

W121

The Ponton-based roadster that brought 300 SL glamour within reach.

Production
1955–1963
Built
25,881
Body
Roadster & coupé
Engine
1.9-liter four
Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (W121)

Built on the four-cylinder Ponton platform, the 190 SL brought 300 SL styling within reach of a much wider clientele — a genuine sports car wearing the family’s most glamorous face.

Introduced alongside the 300 SL at the 1954 New York Auto Show and launched into production the following year, the 190 SL shared its distinctive nose, headlamp treatment and general profile with the fabled Gullwing, but rode on a shortened Ponton sedan floorpan with a simpler four-cylinder engine underneath.

Offered as roadster or removable-hardtop coupé, and refined continuously through two engine revisions and dozens of detail changes, the 190 SL stayed in production for eight years and 25,881 examples before giving way to the W113 ‘Pagoda’ in 1963.

W121 interior
A simpler, four-cylinder cabin beneath the same glamorous nose as the 300 SL.

Every model.

4 distinct series across 1955–1963 — roadster and removable-hardtop coupé body styles, each identified by its chassis and engine numbers.

ModelLata modelowePodwozieSilnikSkrzynia biegówRazem
190 SL Coupé1955–1961121.040121.921uwzględnione powyżej
190 SL Roadster1955–1961121.042121.92125,881
190 SL Roadster1961–1963121.042121.928uwzględnione powyżej
190 SL Coupé1961–1963121.040121.928uwzględnione powyżej

* Opublikowana liczba produkcji obejmuje każdą serię tego modelu; źródło nie rozbija jej dalej.

W121 side profile
The removable hardtop that turned the 190 SL into a genuine coupé.

Year by year.

Eight years of continuous refinement, from cabin details to chrome trim. These are the changes that matter when dating a 190 SL.

  1. 1955
    • Main-series production began in May.
    • The production body omitted the prototype’s stylized bonnet intake.
    • Rear-wheel-arch eyebrows and revised bumpers distinguished the production car.
    • Decorative rear-wheel-arch moldings became standard on the Coupé and optional on the Roadster.
    • The rear axle ratio changed to 3.89:1.
  2. 1956
    • Two additional rear engine mounts were added to the front subframe.
    • The Coupé roof changed from aluminum to pressed steel.
    • Wide chrome trim replaced the narrow upper-door molding in March.
    • A locking glovebox lid became standard.
    • An ATE T50 brake servo became standard.
    • Larger 220 a-style taillights were fitted in June.
  3. 1957
    • Convex taillight lenses replaced the earlier design.
    • Rear number-plate lamps moved into the bumper overriders in July.
    • United States cars received red rear indicator lenses.
  4. 1958
    • United States taillights lost the divider between stop and tail sections.
    • United States cars received revised indicator and parking lamps.
  5. 1959
    • The lockable fuel cap began sharing the door key.
    • A hardtop with an enlarged rear window entered production in October.
  6. 1960
    • A recessed boot-lid handle replaced the earlier bow-type handle.
  7. 1961
    • Seat-belt anchorage points were fitted.
    • The later 121.928 engine specification entered production in August.
  8. 1962
    • Front wheel arches sprayed with PVC for protection against corrosion.
    • Fog lamps adopted yellow reflectors in place of yellow glass.
W121 rear three-quarter view
Rear wheel arch eyebrows, standard on the coupé from December 1955, optional on the roadster.