This week we join Michael Potiker for a ride back in time in his tastefully modified Mercedes 190 SL as he wheels around Los Angeles in the low-cut period-correct roadster.
For most, the gorgeous Benz offers more than enough personality in stock form, and would be no difficult feat to become attached to, but to achieve an even deeper bond with his machine Michael hasn’t shied away from adding some custom touches. After acquiring the 190 SL following a serendipitous stroll down his father’s street where the pair came across the car for the first time, he went about researching the legacy of the model to discover what they were used for, trying to ascertain their place in the era from which they came.
Though often shadowed by its older brother the 300 SL, Mercedes also offered packages for 190 SL owners who were looking to go racing, and upon learning of this option Michael went about sourcing parts and finding builders to transform his car into a Southern California-style racer while also paying homage to the original Rennsport kit (which Mercedes would sell to customers separate from the car, with the owners adding the pieces themselves).
On the experience of driving the resulting slice-like Mercedes roadster, he explains that for him, “It’s not even about the roads and the scenery, it’s about rowing the gears and operating this absolutely ridiculous vehicle.” While it’s nice to enjoy our cars in ideal settings, we have to agree with Michael on what’s paramount in all of this, and that is the actual act of driving, regardless of where it’s happening.
There are certain cars, like this one is for Michael, that have that kind of pull on us that can turn any drive into an activity that reaffirms your original passion for the car. And when you use such a thing regularly? That’s even better, and in keeping with his idea that it’s important to use cars like this, because it’s “about experiencing something that’s drastically different from the everyday,” even if you’re still using it every day.
Beyond the lowered doors and windscreen, the “cafe road racer” look is achieved through an interesting shade of green applied to the body and unadorned steel wheels, a subtle and appropriate livery, and some prominent Marchal driving lights mounted at the corners of the classic ovoid Mercedes grille. On the performance side of the changes, the 190 SL’s inline-four has been fitted with some hotter Webers, which leaves you with what is “effectively a pedal that’s an on-off switch,” and as Michael goes on to explain, “It changes the way you drive because you look for these opportunities to be flooring the car.” In order to keep the thing planted in this pursuit of full-throttle driving, the suspension components have been upgraded to stiffer and newer pieces to cope.
On the joys of using a car like this often, Michael remarks that it’s like being in “a cosplay time machine as a 1950s racing driver.” If a car can elicit those kinds of wondrous child’s-imagination-come-true feelings and turn that into a regular reality, that’s Driving Tastefully®.
What a fantastic car
Woow
this channel is my secret getaway
Love love love
Sounds and looks like it needs a carb rebuild. Misfire underload and a leaky inspection cover. Could have been fixed for the price of those shoes. Great car…room for improvement on ownership.
Pleassure and satisfaction here, comes from the exctraction of feelings by driving this pure car, with no useless gadjets and
200 lbs of electronics…but operating an item -car-, made of very good engineering, quality parts and functionable simplicity.
Today, we end up driving even hundreds thousands $/€, … apps. We care 90% for multimedia and gadjets and 10 for the car itself..
And that'why driving satisfaction touches almost zero, except if you 're feeling well when advertising how much you spent to buy it.
Seems like feelings aren't that much of expensive rather than constraint…
Dude is living the dream!
Car is brilliant. Who'da thunk that an 190SL could be so cool?
The personification of the Petrolicious logo.
OK, reality check here, quickly: 190SL's were in period to be the equivalent of a coachmade Karman Ghia. Or maybe a small Thunderbird. But no one took them seriously as SPORTS CARS. No one. The SCCA didn't even place it in a class until it was on sale in the US for two years – they knew nobody would race one. So this is nice, but it isn't a Battlebird.
Great car so unique
the hipster is wearing a helmet to drive a streetcar. Hey look at me I'm a race driver.
Pretty car, but my girlfriend deserves a windscreen.
This car makes me feel something again. Such a shame that people don't make cars that look like cars from this golden era. Dbr1, gto 250, Jag E type and D type. I
I go back to this video about once every few weeks. Full of envy
Needs period-correct license plate
The word "poser" also comes to mind.
Butch hack job.
Immediately want to punch in face.
This shouldn't be free to watch. You guys are absolutely killing it with these videos.
1:53 Got to love the plugged coolant outlet hose.
What an incredible car and video, you have just changed my mind on my new 190SL project, can i ask what model of Weber’s your running and suspension, where did you get your helmet from ?
Thanks again
Jr
Schnösel …
Great car, bad shoes.
The thing is think about driving this car through a deserted road at night then think about you being stopped by a red light with your racing gear on and how much of an idiot you will look
The first Petrolicious video I couldn't finish watching. Are those period correct hipster shoes? Cars didn't routinely breakdown in the sixties. Maybe if you actually tried working on the car and refurbishing the parts of the car that needed it you would realize that. No, instead you concentrated on your goofy helmet, gloves & oh so special shoes.
Car and production… sheer poetry.
Your amazed why so many things break?
There's a thing called monthly maintenance
To much poetry and notingh about history and mechanical aspects
Does anyone know where or how i can get that tag Heuer stop watch with a face on it that he has in this video
Very cool and original car. But PLEASE, change your shoes…