Mercedes-Benz 190SL W121 B II 1955-1963
What is the first thing that comes to mind talking about the Mercedes-Benz 190SL in Germany? The "girl Rosemarie", the famous prostitute Rosemarie Nitribitt, who was well known for driving a black Mercedes 190SL, and later on was murdered.
In this connection: In 1986 I worked up the red leather seats from the original Nitribitt car quite elaborately, proven the registration document.
And further: The baroque and sporty design is simply sensational!
The small 300SL is in no way inferior to it’s big brother in terms of design language.
The designer, Friedrich Geiger (who also designed the "century sports car" 300SL "Gullwing", the W198 II Roadster, the "Pagoda" and the W107!), is in fact strangely unknown by his name. Perhaps he’s the one to deserve the title "Michelangelo of automotive design" the most, without belittling the services of Bertone, Michelotti, Frua, Pininfarina, Count Goertz ....!
Otherwise: Anyone who considers the car a sports car will be disappointed. The engine is in spite of the, yeah, for that time quite ordinary nominal power of 105 HP quite limp. The 190SL does not like sporty "corner scrubbing" at all. The gentle and elegant gliding is clearly his strength.
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Issues & Improvements
Optimized replacement for the Mercedes-Benz 190SL / ONLY by CK-Cabrio
The tailoring of the 190SL convertible top urgently needed an optimization that we invented twenty years ago and which has proven itself since then on every top mounted.
First of, the convertible tops of the 190SL are cut too short towards the B-pillar in the direction of the door's end. Typically, there is no tailor-made closure for the top with the original cut, or it often even rips out between the strap! We changed that so the top fits better and matches the natural line of the car as it was intended to be.
No too short tops anymore!
Second, we moved the sewn-in circular tensioning cable (completely invisible!) a little higher while keeping the original stitching of the convertible top. As far as possible it avoids the otherwise recurring and unnecessary derailing out of the aluminum guide bar. The re-tensioning afterwards is not required anymore.
Especially since the tensioning cable only has a limited load capacity and also likes to tear at the compression, or the casted tension fork breaks.
In addition, the following sentence applies: Not true to the original is worth nothing.
