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Story by Rich Taylor • Photography By Jean Constantine
Editor's Note: This story was originally published in 2012. Values, references and vendors listed may not be correct.
You can tell at first glance that the Mercedes-Benz 300SL and 190SL are siblings. Built on the same 94.5-inch wheelbase, these two-seater roadsters share beautiful long-hood, short-deck proportions. Their front ends bear an undeniable resemblance to one another, with wide-eyed headlights and grinning grilles forming similarly gleeful faces. Watch both of these cars cross the block at auction, however, and you’ll notice a jaw-dropping difference between the two.
When both were new, the 3-liter 300SL cost roughly twice as much as the 2-liter 190SL. Today, that price difference is 10 to 1. The first car has become a million-dollar milestone; the other makes a great investment that doesn’t have to be sheltered from the outside world.
