1955 MERCEDES BENZ Typ 190 SL Roadster (W121) 190

Vehicle Overview

In 1955, Mercedes-Benz introduced the SL Roadster as a compact, luxury two-seat open-top vehicle.

While the first Disneyland opened in July in the U.S., Mercedes-Benz prepared the right car to visit it: the 1955 SL. It was unveiled in March at the Geneva Motor Show, and it was made for relaxed driving with a design inspired by the famous 300-SL “Gullwing”. The carmaker built it on top of a shortened chassis of the 180 model but styled it to pass as a luxury vehicle. In those times, it cost around $ 4,000, twice as much as the average price of a car.

Its designers, Karl Wilfert and Walter Häcker made the front area with round headlights and a grille with one horizontal slat that supported the big, three-pointed-star badge in the middle. On the sides, the front fenders featured a gutter above the wheel-arches. The sidelines flowed in a downward shape from the front fenders to the back of the doors, while the rear fenders resembled the same muscular look like those from the 300 SL.

The interior was minimalist, with a slim dashboard that supported the instrument cluster and the rearview mirror. In standard trims, it featured a cloth upholstery, but a leather-clad cabin was available. Its manually operated canvas-top was retractable behind the cabin under a vinyl cover.

Under the hood, Mercedes-Benz offered the car with only one engine option and a four-speed manual gearbox but three options for the final drive.