MERCEDES BENZ 190SL:

When the customer version of the 300 SL coupe was introduced at the New York auto show in 1954 it was accompanied by a prototype version of the 190 SL roadster. Where the 300 SL was an expensive supercar, the 190 SL was the much more sensible and affordable alternative. It had styling reminiscent of the great 300 SLR racing cars, but was based on mass-production technology and really meant to cash in on the status and desirability that had been acquired by the exotic 300 SL(R) racing cars. And from the moment the production version became available in May 1955 it sold considerably well.
Still it remained in the shadow of its supercar brother, and when production ceased in February 1963 it wasn't an instant classic. Many car collectors and enthusiasts considered the 190 SL as the plain skinny sister of the 300 SL and treated it as such. It took till the 1990s before interest in this car picked up, and now it's getting more and more merited on it own virtues rather than on those of the 300 SL.
The production version that appeared on the market in 1955 had undergone a lot of modifications compared to the prototype version. Most of them were changes to the bodywork to make the 190 SL look more like the 300 SL, such as the added "eyebrows" over the front and rear wheels. Still, these arches weren't all show, they also caught water that splashed up from the tires.
Most notable was the fact that the 190 SL wasn't a sports car, it was a real open top tourer, or a Gran Turismo if you prefer. It weighed about 1160 kg and its 1897 cc 4-cylinder engine produced 105 hp @ 5700 rpm, just enough for a top speed of 175 kph. Although the car wasn't slow, its top speed wasn't very remarkable at the time.
Unfortunately a lot of 190 SL cars on the classic car market today lack originality. Many people think that the 190 SL remained more or less the same during its production run of 8 years, but this isn't so.