![]() ![]() That is when I made the decision to restore the car.” “With the help of the Internet, you soon realise that selling the wreck as parts isn’t the right thing to do – the parts are simply too valuable. However, he quickly realised not only how valuable the parts were, but that the wreck was actually salvageable. Once the wreck was put on a trailer and taken to the owner’s home, he started selling some of the parts and also using parts for his other cars. It was discovered in a small railway station scrapyard in Wolwehoek, 100 km south of Johannesburg. This 190SL was basically scrap metal when he found the wreck around 18 years ago. My fears were quickly laid to rest when I met him and realised how perfectly he had restored all four 190SLs, as well as every other classic Mercedes-Benz in his collection. When I first heard about this 190SL racer for the road, I hoped the owner had not cut up a perfectly good 190SL to build it. “It took me 11 years to find my first 190SL, and another two years to find the next one.” Two more followed, including this tribute, and all are meticulously restored. ![]() “In the beginning, you search for cars, then after a while cars start finding you.” A very true statement by the owner of this 1956 190SL, which is a rolling tribute to the incredibly rare racing sports car of the same year. We travel to Bloemfontein for a rare opportunity to pilot it and discuss the story with the owner. ![]() Having come perilously close to a rusty end, this 190SL now fires around South Africa as a fizzing tribute to one of the rarest Mercedes racers ever to compete in motorsport. ![]()
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