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It is with regret that I inform you that Ray Ilich passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on August 13, 2002 at age 48. On behalf of the many visitors to this web site, IPOG (International Ponton Owners Group) and myself, I hereby offer sincere condolences to his family and friends.
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Ray Ilich (c. 1997) with a rebuilt M180.924 engine from Josef Hinkofer's Type 220S sedan.
Many of the regular long-time visitors to the Mercedes-Benz Ponton web site are aware that it was created by Ray Ilich in 1995. It was the first web site dedicated to Mercedes-Benz Ponton models and it served to unite Ponton owners from around the world. Ray's inspiration to start the site was his 1959 Mercedes-Benz 220S sedan. Many, if not all of the maintenance and repair jobs that he performed on his car were recorded on these web pages for fellow Ponton owners to use as guides when performing their own maintenance. He also published numerous contributions on the site from other Ponton owners around the world. Ray and I were "internet e-mail friends" since before he launched the web site. Our common interest in these cars drew us together (along with several other, by now "well known" internet Ponton personalities) who originally (c. 1993) became acquainted on-line via Alex Gabard's "Mercedes Veterans" majordomo mailing list. In May, 1998 I had the pleasure of meeting Ray in person (he was traveling with his brother, and Len Sokoloff) at the "import car" swap meet in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Ray ended up selling his Ponton in the autumn of 1999 and continued to support the web site until some time in 2000. In March, 2001 we exchanged a few messages about how his interest and enthusiasm for supporting the site was dwindling. He asked me who I thought (from within our circle of Ponton internet friends) would be a good candidate to take the site over for him. If there was no interest, he was planning to shut it down. I immediately expressed my interest in taking on the duties of maintaining the world famous Ponton web site! In addition to my owning a Ponton, he knew I had experience supporting my own web site, and so he decided that I met the requirements, and we moved forward with the transfer. On several occasions since that time, Ray was kind enough to send me some very positive and encouraging messages about the appearance of the site and the way it has been developed. It was always gratifying to know I had his continued support.
Jeff Miller / August 22, 2002