Dismembered Merc SL
Remember the AC Ace fragments from our previous issue that H&H sold for £202,500? The same auctioneer has since hammered down the mortal remains of a 1961 Mercedes 190SL at £38,350, including buyer’s premium, exceeding what looked like an ambitious estimate of £25,000 to £35,000. Though not quite as incomplete as it appeared (with much of the interior stored elsewhere in boxes, together with many spares), the car was missing its entire driveline: engine, gearbox and back axle. Completed during the 1961 model year, this particular right-hand-drive example is understood to have been supplied new to the United Kingdom, with the original chassis plate text presented in English. The vendor bought the car in the summer of 1989 from a gentleman in London and took it to a garage, which she asked to store the car while the current owner and her father completed another restoration. Unhappily, the vendor’s father became unwell, and the garage in question dismantled the car completely – after which the engine, gearbox and one of the axles went missing, along with other items. With her father’s health continuing to deteriorate, the lady retrieved what was left of the 190SL and placed it in a single garage under a tarpaulin, where it remained until this year. As one of just 562 right-hand-drive 190SLS built (and with a far smaller number surviving) it has rarity value, but the cost of tracking down the missing components is daunting – as is the extent of the work required to the rest of the car. Can the project be completed within the £130k-£150k value of a mint example?