Parked for 20 Years, Abandoned Mercedes-Benz 190SL Still Alive
Abandoned in a basement garage, this Mercedes-Benz 190 SL sat still for twenty years. Covered in layers of dust, it could have as well been a victim of rodents. But something must have kept that pest away from the engine bay. Because this Sport Leicht (sport light) roadster is still alive.
Larry from the Amno NYC YouTube channel found the car. It belongs to the YouTuber’s friend’s father. The man had been using it every single weekend since 1955 until he eventually parked it in his garage. The car was never to drive again for the next twenty years.
But now the time has come for the candy red Benz to see the light of day again. That’s not that easy though. Covered in layers of dust, mice poop, and spider web, the roadster has its wheels stuck and rip out the grass while the car is pulled out of the garage.
A power wash does the job and the roadster, the next best thing to the spectacular 300 SL seven decades ago, looks as good as new (almost), with the red and the chrome shining under the light of the detailing shop.
The black leather that wraps the seats gets cleaned up as well and there are no cracks in it. But there are many to compensate in the rear, because the car got repainted through the years. The chrome bumpers display a bit of rust, but polishing does the job.
The canvas top shows signs of aging as well, but there’s nothing unfixable there.
Corrosion made its way under the hood, so getting the Mercedes-Benz 190 SL running again seems an impossible mission at the beginning. Then a few replacements do the job and the engine starts, making the team cheer. They can’t believe the 1.9-liter straight four-cylinder unit is still alive in there. It must have lost some of the 105 PS (104 HP) along the way. But it’s running and that’s all that matters right now.
When the owner comes to the shop to check it out, all he can say is “Oh, my God” again and again. In the passenger’s seat, he seems overwhelmed with emotions. The last time he saw this car running was twenty years ago.
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