An elegant, open-top sports car with the Mercedes star on its radiator: That is model 190 SL (W 121), which Mercedes-Benz presented in New York in 1954 and whose market launch was in 1955.
In the 1950s, a very special star rose in Stuttgart: the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class was born. It all began with motor racing sports. With its successes in international competitions, in 1952 the 300 SL competition sports car (W 194 series, “SL” stands for “Super-Light”), became the initial spark for the start of two fascinating production sports cars – the “Gullwing” coupé and the roadster: the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL and 190 SL laid the foundation for the tradition of this legendary sports car family in the year 1954.
Eternal youth is a miracle bestowed on only a small number of cars, and the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL coupe is one of this elite group. The Stuttgart-based brand unveiled its new sports car in February 1954 at the International Motor Sports Show in New York, and in so doing lit the fuse for an icon of the automotive world. With its flat, graceful body, the 300 SL had lost nothing of its freshness even as the millennium drew to a close and was voted “Sports car of the Century” in 1999. “Gullwing” doors provided that essential touch of inspiration, opening up towards the sky to reveal a tightly sculptured interior.
Orders for the new Mercedes-Benz SLK commenced on 17 January 2011. It will feature a new, exciting design, exceptionally high levels of comfort for a roadster, as well as exquisite technology and no shortage of open-air driving pleasure. As such, the agile sports car already looks set to continue a success story which started back in 1994 with a show car. Strictly speaking, however, the pedigree of the SLK stretches back even further – to the 190 SL, a vehicle which automotive enthusiasts were already dreaming about in 1955 as the economic upturn was starting in the Federal Republic of Germany.
In time for the summer of 1955, production of the four-cylinder-engined 190 SL sports car was begun at the Sindelfingen plant. Designed as a sporty, elegant two-seater for touring, the car, internally designated W 121, rapidly acquired great popularity, also and especially among the ladies. Initially, only a roadster with soft-top was available (price in 1955: DM 16,500). It was joined in the fall by a coupe with removable hardtop, available with or without a soft-top (prices in September 1955: DM 17,650 / DM 17,100). By the time production was discontinued in February 1963, 25,881 units had been built, and most of these had been shipped to the USA. The 190 SL initiated the post-war tradition of roadsters from Mercedes-Benz.