Decoding the 190SL Barn Find I just bought?
 

So, I've just picked up a true "barn-find" 190SL which has been in disassembled storage in a dry barn for the past 28+ years. The daughter of the deceased owner doesn't have the title to the car. I would like to ask if anyone on the forum can help me figure out what year this car might be. Currently the Chassis Data Tag is very difficult to read and I can't make out any of the number on it.

The Body Number Stamp on the firewall reads: 121 042 10 00324
The Engine Number reads: 1210111801
The Frame Number Stamp reads: 121 042 10 020933

Thank you in advance for any direction that you might be able to share.

chassis #10019740 to 10023531 were 1961s. I assumed the 190sl would still be a 198 chassis as in the more famous 300sl. I was surprised by a 121. my 129 300sl used the same chassis number as the 500 and 600sl. The 198 300 used the space frame construction and the larger engine, those are the main differences between a 121 190 and a 300. regardless a nice find.

Brookings, thank you for that information. Since making my original post I found buried in the bottom of some of the parts boxes the following:

Madison County, Illinois Registration card: dated 1978
Card states the following:
Year Model: 1959
VIN: 8502128


Now this information could be misleading as the previous owner had several 190SL's and this particular card could have been from another vehicle.

the number on the firewall below the windsheild wiper on passenger side should be the ID number that would be used for registration, it should match with the frame ID and just above the plate below the voltage regulator, it should be stamped into to frame itself. I guess the 121 designation was also used on early 190 sedans too.