The Pontons may have been Mercedes-Benz’s bread-and-butter models of the 1950s, but they were vitally important in establishing the marque as a significant player around the globe.
Alongside the saloons that made Mercedes famous world-wide for long-lasting and economical taxis, there were exotic two-door cabriolet and coupé derivatives, and the cars’ basic structure was made available too for conversion into ambulances, pick-ups, estate cars and hearses.
Not always appreciated is that the 190SL sports model was also derived from the engineering of the Ponton range. The Ponton Mercedes and the 190SL have long enjoyed a strong enthusiast following around the world.
Here is their story, from their creation at a time when Mercedes was emerging from the devastation of war, though their success during the German Economic Miracle of the 1950s, to their final days in the early 1960s alongside the first of the "Fintail" models that would eventually replace them.
Mercedes-Benz Ponton and 190SL: the complete story, with around 225 photographs, features:
- The story of the design and development of the Ponton Mercedes
- 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder saloons, and 4-cylinder diesel models
- The exclusive 6-cylinder cabriolets and coupés
- The story of the 190 SL sports car
- An extensively illustrated look at the special bodywork variants
- Full technical specifications, plus paint and interior trim choices
- Production tables and model type codes
- A chapter on sales and assembly outside Germany
- A chapter on buying and owning a Ponton Mercedes or a 190 SL
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