1961 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class For Sale by Owner in Pleasant Hill, OR

1961 Mercedes-Benz 190SL (Full History from New) Very Correct Example
Classic style with great history makes this 190SL and excellent example to collect and enjoy. Runs and drives
excellent and is in exceptional condition.
VIN:            12104010022211
Body:          1210401001641
Chassis:     12104010022211
Engine:       12192810000151
Paint Code: DB 50G 40G
Miles:          152,237
Clear Title
History:
This numbers-matching car is well documented dating back to its original purchase from Rasmussen Mercedes-Benz in
Portland Oregon April 25th, 1962 by Dr. Louis H. Frische, a local Physician. The car was serviced at Rasmussen
Mercedes-Benz until February 1963 – at which time it had 15,421 miles. The second owners were Joanne and Edward
Schultz who lived in Dixon, California. When Edward passed away, Joanne put the car into storage for a number of
years and eventually sold it through her mechanic to John Edakara of San Rafael, California in 1982. The car had
50,800 miles on it when John purchased it. John had the engine rebuilt in 1987 when the car had 86,766 miles on it.
In 2004 John had the car stripped to bare metal and repainted. The bumpers were re-chromed and that time.
Subsequent to the repaint the seats were re-upholstered and new carpet was installed. John owned the 190SL for 32
years, driving it regularly and taking very good care of it along the way. Steve Tinney purchased the car from John
in May of 2013. Flying down from Portland, Oregon to San Francisco, California and drove the car back to Portland
straight through with no issues. Steve had the car serviced at MBI in Portland, Oregon where they went completely
through the car starting with the engine, rebuilding the throttle linkages, resurfacing the intake manifolds,
adjusting the solex carburetors and installing/replacing parts that were worn. MBI performed a compression test and
found good compression in all cylinders. The tachometer, speedometer and oil gage have been rebuilt, the radiator
and heater cores have been rebuilt, the wheels where sand blasted and power coated. The carpet forward of the seats
was replaced with original and correct Mercedes rubber mats. On June of 2014 current owner Rick Martin bought the
car and added it to his collection. The car comes with the original hard top (and stand) tool kit, original spare with original jack and lug
wrench and extensive documentation notebooks on work done its entire life and correspondence between Mercedes-Benz
and the owners along the way. It starts, drives, stops as it should and everything works with exception of the
original Becker Europa Radio which is disconnected. A modern stereo is in the glove box. This is an exceptional
vehicle.
Engine & Transmission: The four-cylinder engine in this car is tuned to perfection. The transmission shifts
smoothly. Brakes have been completely serviced and a new brake booster installed. The fully independent suspension
(double wishbone in the front and swing axles in the rear) has been maintained to a high standard. The car is
responsive, nimble and enjoys long-distance cruising. Exhaust is great and the underside of this car is extremely
dry and shows no signs of leaks. The current owner had the undercoating taken off to ensure all the metal is solid
and no funny business going on under this car. (see photos). This is a great example that is ready to drive and
enjoy.
Body: This rust free car is extremely solid. All panels are straight with no dents or waviness and has excellent
gaps.  All glass is in great shape no chips or cracks. Paint presents very well and I would consider it show
quality (I am particular). There is some very minor pitting on the chrome around the windshield the rest of the
chrome is very nice. The rubber is good and all plastic lenses are as new. The trunk area is very nice and solid as
well as the spare tire compartment, It comes with tools/jack and correct steel rim spare tire. The overall
condition shows how carful this car has been taken care of. See detailed photos to see the great solid condition of
this car.
Interior: The beautiful leather interior is in new condition and has been restored to show quality standards. The
level of quality is very apparent on this example. The door skins are very nice as well as the armrests rear
storage compartment and floors. The chrome bits in the interior are great. The radio is the correct original. This
car is very elegant and all the bits and pieces are in proper order which makes the view from the driver’s seat
timeless.
Summary:
This is a solid example of a classic Mercedes-Benz. These extremely comfortable two-door super luxury roadsters are
considered highly usable classics continuing a tradition of handcrafted quality and superior engineering. Many
astute collectors have chosen to add a 190SL to their collections and nice examples with documented history like
this one are great to come across. Even cars twenty years newer will be hard-pressed to match the 190SL for its
quality and unrivaled style.