1958 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL

The 190 SL is one of those cars where provenance and condition tell the real story. This 1958 example — matching numbers, left-hand drive, with just 585 miles covered since a ground-up restoration — spent its early life in the United States, delivered new at the Rockefeller Centre, New York in November 1958. It arrived in the UK in 1989 and subsequently underwent a comprehensive restoration between 2015 and 2023, carried out by Redcastle Classics and Lux Classics, with a documented spend of over £150,000 including a full engine rebuild at £41,000 in 2016.

The colour scheme is unusual and effective: Anthracite Grey metallic — changed from the original White Grey during restoration — sits over a red leather interior that has been preserved in its original specification throughout. A further £25,000 of post-restoration refinements in 2023 included replacing the Weber carburettors with original Solex PHH44 units, a rarer and more period-correct choice requiring specialist knowledge to fit correctly. The result is a car built to a level of authenticity that goes well beyond a cosmetic refresh.

Mechanically, the 190 SL uses a 1.9-litre inline-four paired with a four-speed manual gearbox — an engaging drivetrain rather than an outright fast one. This is a thoroughbred open-top tourer from Mercedes' post-war golden era, and this example backs its condition with a meticulous history file including the original owner's manual and invoices tracing ownership from New York to North Yorkshire.