1959 Mercedes-Benz Type 220S Ponton sedan

This is the car that inspired Ray Ilich to launch the Ponton website on September 25, 1995. Many of the maintenance and repair jobs he performed made their way onto these pages. He sold the car in the autumn of 1999.

Features

• 200k miles
• Cruises at 60 MPH
• 100 hp straight-six engine
• Dual carburetors
• Four-speed on the column
• Great chrome
• Color: Medium Metallic Blue
• New parts: windshield, lenses, headliner, windlass, seat covers, seat belts
• Excellent OEM fog lamps
• Black Forest solid beech dash and window surrounds
• Working clock, cassette radio, and stereo speakers
• Rebuilt heater boxes

This photo shows the solid beech dashboard, the ivory-colored steering wheel (with a top grain leather cover) and the OEM Becker radio. There is an AM/FM cassette radio in the glove box with stereo speakers discreetly mounted in the rear hat shelf.

Left: rear seat, with retracting seat belts. Right: front seats, new seat belts not in view. The seat covers were manufactured by Autocraft of Ludlow, Massachusetts and installed in 1997. The original seat upholstery, which is left intact under the new covers, is a gray houndstooth pattern, double blind stitch, with blue vinyl trim. The seat springs were not in need of repair.