Mercedes-Benz Ponton Club

FACTFILE Sold/number built 1953- 62/559,369 Construction steel monocoque Engine all-iron, sv 1767cc/ohc alloy-head 1897cc/all-iron 1897cc or 1988cc'four,’ iron-block, alloy-head ohc 2195cc'six’; Solex carb/carbs or Bosch injection; 40bhp @ 4000rpm-115bhp @ 4800rpm; 75lb ft @ 2000rpm-152lb ft @ 4100rpm Transmission all-synchromesh four-speed man, optional Hydrak auto clutch (219/220S), RWD Suspension independent at front by wishbones, coils, telescopic dampers, a-r bar rear swing axles Steering recirculating ball Brakes drums Length 14ft 81/2in-15ft 7in (4485-4750mm) Width 5ft 81/2-91/3in (1740-1760mm) Height 5ft (1530-1560mm) Wheelbase 8ft 81/3in-9ft 1/3in (2650-2820mm) Weight 2595-3241lb (1180-1470kg) 0-60mph 39-c14 secs Top speed 69-103mph Mpg 15-44 Price new £1793 (190 W121,1956) Twin-carb ‘four’ or injected 'six’ offer decent performance INSURANCE £143.10 for 30-year-old Londoner with full no-claims and a clean licence on a garaged 1957 220Sas a second car, value £25k, 5000 limited miles. Richardson Hosken: 01277 206911.   THE ALTERNATIVES LANCIA AURELIA  Technically advanced, with alloy V6 engine givingupto 118bhp. Available as unitary saloon, coupe or convertible, it’s highly complex, but still feels remarkably modern to drive. Sold/no built 1950-’58/18,197 Mpg 18-30 0-60mph 20-12.3 secs Top speed 84-115mph Price new £3471 (B20 GT, ’55) Now £25-200,000 ROVER P4 Plentiful wood and leather, and choice of lumbering four- or silky six-cylinder engines. As durable as a Mercedes with most parts significantly cheaper; an appealing option. Sold/no built 1949-’64/130,342 Mpg 17-30 0-60mph 26.5-15.4 secs Top speed 77-100mph Price new £1298 (60,1956) Now £2000-15,000   Our verdict Find a well-maintained Ponton and you are almost guaranteed a reliable family friend with few weaknesses. Just beware neglected cars dressed up to look better than they are. Over- head-cam engines, especially twin-carb or injected sixes, perform well and cabriolets are increasingly sought after-there are still worth-while projects if you have the skills. FOR •             Exceptional build quality •             Most models are remarkably usable •             Last for ever if well maintained •             Virtually all parts can be found AGAINST •             Spares can be expensive if rebuild required •             Sidevalves and diesels are very slow     Technical data Mercedes W120, W121, W105, W180, W128 all Ponton series Model 180 180a 190 180d 190d 220a 220 S/SE Engine configuration L4 petrol L4 petrol L4 petrol L4 diesel L4 diesel L6 petrol L6 petrol Engine capacity (cmc) 1767 1897 1897 1767 1897 2195 2195 Maximum power (PS/rpm) 52/4000 65/4500 75/4600 40/3500 50/4000 85/4800 100/4800 Maximum torque (Nm/rpm) 112/1800 130/2200 138/2800 102/2000 110/2200 157/2400 170/3500 Unladen weight (kg) 1150 1165 1165 1200 1210 1300 1350 Consumption (l/100 km) 8,7 10,9 8,9 6,3 7,1 13,5 13,5 Maximum speed (km/h) 126 135 140 109 121 150 160 ...

1 Cabrios came with bench or individual front seats, and proper or folding rears. Wool cloth or leather cloth were offered at first, with MB-Tex coming later. 2 All six-cylinder cars had wood interior trim on the dash and door cappings. If the former needs to be restored or changed, it is a windscreen-out job. 3 Specialists say it's rare to find a Ponton with engine problems, so robust are these units. Neglect will cause any motor to wear out, though, so check for excessive oil breathing/consumption, leaks, rumbling and knocking. Cars with aluminium heads can suffer expensive corrosion and head-gasket failure. One for a 220S costs £2600. 4 Brakes gained wider linings, finned drums and even Al-fins during the car's life to reduce fade. Seized hydraulics are common on rarely used examples. 5 Most cars have Solex carburettors, but diesels and late 220SEs had Bosch mechanical injection - it's well built, but not always understood by mechanics. 6 Kingpins wear, as do steering idlers and, to a lesser extent, steering boxes. Front wheel bearings have a limited life, too. All last longer if regularly greased. 7 Swing-axle IRS was hairy on early cars, but was improved on sixes and all from 1956. Driveshafts and bearings wear, and beware a car with a leaky or noisy diff. ...

The knowledge What to pay Show 'four'/'six'/cab £25k/40k/125k Average 'four'/'six'/cab £10k/15k/70k Restoration 'four'/'six'/cab £2500/5k/20k PARTS PRICES Front wing £500 Inner and outer sills £300 Rear chassis rail  £600 Water pump £60 Recon steering box £1100 Brake master cylinder £300 Fuel pump £200 CLUBS Mercedes-Benz Club 08456 032660; mercedes-benz-club.co.uk BOOKS Mercedes-Benz Since 1945 Vol 1 James Taylor, MRP Mercedes-Benz The 1950s Vol 2 Bernd Koehling, Create Space Das Grosse Mercedes-Ponton-Buch Matthias Rocke, Heel Verlag SPECIALISTS Gratt Motors 0161 223 0284 John Haynes 01903 500000 Classic Mercedes-Benz 07850 983128 Silver Arrows 020 8789 8525 Autobarn 01892 771321 Avantgarde 01827 288177 Ponton Manufaktur 0049 89 52 03 24 48 Werner Karasch 0049 2 09 27 20 78 Geert Vanderburgh 0032 56 421233 Miller’s Inc 001 800 338 7787  ...

TIMELINE 1953      Sep 180 saloon with 52bhp sv engine 1954      Mar 180D (44mpg); 220 'six’ with improved IRS, finned drums, 12V, 85bhp 1955      Sep 180D up to 43bhp; 220 gets servo and Al-fins; 220A/C coupe and cabriolet launched 1956      Jan IRS from 220 fitted tol80andl80D 1956 May 190- better trim, ohc engine, 12V, 75bhp, 86mph,finned drums; 220 replaced by 219; 220S with twin carbs, 100bhp 1956      Jul 220S cabrio manufacture begins 1956      Oct 220S coupe now available 1957      Aug 180a replaces 180 (52,186 sold) - 65bhp, 12V; 219- 90bhp; 220S upto 106bhp 1958      Apr 180a gets 190 quarterlights, better trim 1958Sep 190D - 50bhp;220SE- Bosch injection 1959      Sep facelifted 180b (68bhp), 180Db,190b (80bhp), 190Db replaces earlier'fours’; 220b is the only'six’; finned drums on all; optional servo 1959 Oct six-cylinder saloon discontinued; 120bhp 220SE coupe/cabriolet only continue 1961      Jun 180c; 180Dc - 1988cc, 65bhp 1962      Oct production ends ...