Mercedes-Benz Ponton Photo Gallery
Type W121 (4 cylinder / sedan)
Including models: 190 / 190D / 190b / 190Db
1956 Mercedes-Benz Type W121 190 Ponton sedan with Webasto sliding sunroof
owner: Blue Nelson / Oregon USA
Photo added: February 25, 2024
1956 Type W121 190 sedan
"Team Busch" www.team-busch.com
(Dr.-Ing. Karl Busch, Sami Busch and Kaya Busch)
Participated in the "Around the World in 80 Days" rallye from
May to July 2000.
Mercedes-Benz vehicles that participated in the rallye: 1956 190 (W121) / 1959 220S (W180) / 1959 190SL (W121) / 1959 220SE (W128) / 1959 220S cabriolet (W180) / 1960 190D (W121) / 1963 220Sb (W111) / 1963 220SEb coupé (W111) / 1964 220SEb (W111) / 1964 230SL (W113) / 1964 230SL (W113) / 1965 190 (W110) / 1965 220SEb (W111) / 1966 250SE cabriolet (W111) / 1967 250SE (W108) / 1967 250SL (W113)
1956 Type W121 190 sedan
owner: Örn Sigurdsson / Iceland
Photo updated December 7, 2010
Type W121 190 sedan
Austria: Camping enthusiasts are starting for the 1957 International Camping Meeting to
be held in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt.
"Mercedes-Benz in aller Welt" circa 1957
1957 Type W121 190 sedan
owner: Sergio Nascimento / vinilsign@cli.com.br / Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
Sergio used parts supplied by Ray Ilich during the restoration.
Photo submitted: October 26, 2002
1957 Type W121 190 sedan with Right Hand Drive (RHD)
owner: Steve Lightfoot / lightfootworld@hotmail.co.uk / Rotherham, England
former owner: Marcus Hopkins / Kings Lynn, Norfolk England
Steve writes, "I have owned the Type 190 Ponton sedan a little under a year now, and just started its restoration — so she is not running at the moment (got bits of her all over my cellar). I noticed that she was already listed on your site with her original registration of MVG2 and a cream paint job."
"The car is now painted in its original grey and has a new registration number of RSJ198. Also note the damage to the bumper and the non-standard wing mirrors."
Regards,
Steve Lightfoot
March 1, 2006
1957 Type W121 190 sedan
owner: John M. Penn / La Quinta, California USA
1957 Type W121 190 sedan with Webasto steel sunroof
owner: Joon Lee / Rancho Cucamonga, California
1957 Type W121 190 sedan
Beirut, Lebanon / Martyr's Square / circa 1957
Note the Philips sign on top of the building. Photo from "Mercedes-Benz In Aller Welt"
1957 Type W121 190 sedan with Webasto sliding sunroof
former owner (1976-1979): Uwe Medla / Fürth, Germany
1957 Type W121 190 sedan with Webasto sliding sunroof
Former owner: Jeff Miller / western Finger Lakes region of New York state USA
Photo: September 7, 2002 / Northbound lay-by on Canadice Hill Road (County Road 37) – just south of Honeoye Lake / Camera: Nikon Coolpix 990
1957 Type W121 190 sedan with Webasto sliding sunroof
owner: Tim Mueller / Rochester, New York USA
Photo: Jeff Miller / July 19, 2018 / iPhone 7
1957 Type W121 190 sedan
Norway: Embassy Councilor Rolf Jerving, Press Chief of the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, went by airplane from Oslo to Stuttgart in order to fetch his Mercedes-Benz "190." Immediately upon his arrival at the Stuttgart airport, he (right) took over his car and then drove back to Norway via Denmark on the Autobahn. / "Mercedes-Benz in aller Welt" circa 1957
1957 Type W121 190 sedan with Right Hand Drive (RHD)
owner: Emil Kuschke / emilk@sintec.co.za / Pretoria, South Africa
Photo submitted: November 11, 2005
1957 Type W121 190 sedan
owner: Jonathan Church / San Francisco, California USA
1958 Type W121 190 sedan (RHD)
1958 Type W121 190 sedan
owner: Kevin Kemper / Auburn, California
Left: Snowball Rally / April 24-26, 2015 / Sacramento (beginning)
Right: Snowball Rally / Mount Rose Summit / Elevation 8,911 ft (2,716 m)
Photos uploaded: May 4, 2015
1958 Type W121 190 sedan
1958 Type W121 190 sedan (RHD)
owner: Jan Naude / Somerset West, South Africa
1958 Type W121 190 sedan
owner: Thomas Hanna
(died
February 5, 2024) / Munich, Germany
More information (in German) – www.lokari.de
Technically modified, Thomas drove this in the 1999 Rallye
Pan-Americana
Photo courtesy: Helu Hansen / August 2001
1958 Type W121 190 sedan
owner: Bob Bills / robertkbills@msn.com / Denver, Colorado USA
A brief history of the car: I have been following your site for over two years while looking for the "right" Ponton. About a year ago I found one in California that looked appealing. It had 85,000 original miles on the clock and it had been restored. I really do not know much about the car except that it was found, and the restoration began. Money ran short, so a Mercedes-Benz buff bought the car and finished the restoration. I purchased the car from him as he downsized his collection. I really love it and appreciate your great work to keep the Ponton spirit alive and well. If you have any kind of newsletter or know of one that is focused on Pontons I would like to be included.
Bob Bills
March 3, 2005
1958 Type W121 Type 190D sedan with Webasto sliding sunroof
owner: Fouad Ghandour / Amman, Jordan
A Type W121 190 sedan and several Type 319 Mercedes work vans at the "Het Volk" printing facility in Belgium.
"Mercedes-Benz in aller Welt" circa 1958
Type W121 190 sedan with Webasto sliding sunroof
Venderink
Two Type 190 sedans with Webasto sliding sunroofs
Left: 1959 W121 Type 190 sedan / owner:
Phil Bryan
Right: 1957 W121 Type 190 sedan / owner: Jeff Miller
June 1998 / Photo submitted: November 22, 2002
1959 Type W121 190D sedan
owner: Daniel Boeve / daniel.boeve@scarlet.be / Belgium
In this photo the 190D still has its French number plates, but I have since registered it here in Belgium. In Europe, it is very rare to find a four cylinder Ponton sedan with a full leather interior. I collected it in the south of France after buying it on eBay. It runs and drives well. It brings back many memories, as I used these cars for many years as daily drivers because diesel fuel was very cheap then, especially in Holland.
photo submitted: January 10, 2007
1959 Type W121 190 sedan
owner: Bill Coke / Clarksville, Tennessee USA
previous owner: Jon Brian Waugh / Los Gatos, California
Color: DB380 "Delphine (Dolphin) Blue" (59-61). This is an interesting four cylinder Ponton sedan for the extra fender trim, as well as the universal 13" accent trim rings on the wheels. On the four cylinder Ponton sedans, the fender trim was only available by the owner's special request at the local agent, after the vehicle left the factory.
In the USA, that meant the local Studebaker-Packard dealership would affix the trim. The more expensive six cylinder Ponton models such as the Type 220S and 220SE included this trim as standard. The Daimler-Benz factory in Stuttgart did not offer it as an extra cost option on the four cylinder Ponton models.
Photo submitted September 19, 2003 by Jon Brian Waugh
1959 Type W121 190 sedan with Webasto sliding sunroof
owner: Marshal Chang / Westminster, Maryland USA
Photo submitted May 3, 2011
1959 Type W121 190 sedan
owner: Aris Minas / Burbank, California USA
My wife decided to hire a photographer to take some family photos. The photographer found out that I had the old Mercedes-Benz, and insisted on taking photos with the car.
Photo submitted January 16, 2015
1959 Type W121 190 sedan
Photo submitted December 15, 2005
Updated photo submitted May 11, 2010
owner: Don Johnson / San Juan Islands, Washington USA
Here is my 1959 Type 190 Ponton sedan (accompanied by his W203 grandson). Currently, it leads a life of leisure in the San Juan Islands (north of Seattle, Washington) where the maximum speed limit is 40 mph, and it is only driven on sunny days. Thanks for the great website!
Sincerely,
London Johnson
1959 Type W121 190D sedan
photo submitted January 11, 2014
owner: Forrest McCanless / Oxford, Georgia USA
Biodiesel conversion. Competed in the 2008 La Carrera Panamericana. She sure is fun to drive, and gets tons of thumbs-up on the road. I'll be restoring it to some level, but conserve the as-raced exterior patina. It is my daily driver – 28 mile round trip to work four days a week.
Editor's Notes
1959 Type W121 190 sedan
owners: Chuck and Shanon Mills / Berkeley Springs, West Virginia USA
Photos submitted November 11, 2023
1959 Type W121 190b sedan with Webasto sliding sunroof
owner: Jerry Miller / Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA
1959 Type W121 190b sedan with Webasto sliding sunroof
Note the fog lamps. This photo was taken in the summer of 1959.
1959 Type W121 190b sedan with Webasto sliding sunroof
owner: Blue Nelson / southern Oregon USA
Photo uploaded May 6, 2020
1959 Type W121 190b sedan with Right Hand Drive (RHD)
owner: Daren Beal / East Sussex, England
Here is a photo of my 1959 Type 190b that has been in the family since 1962. It passed from my grandfather, to my father, and then to me. That is my son in the photo (in 1993). It has also been officially recognized by Mercedes-Benz. In addition to the high mileage grille badges, take a look at the gold lapel pins and both the 100,000 km diploma and 200,000 km diploma which were awarded by the factory for high mileage. The 100,000 km awards were received in 1981 and the 200,000 km awards were received in 1987.
Photos submitted April 28, 2004.
The photo of the 1959 Type 190b with my son dates from 1993.
Update / December 3, 2008: Here is a new photo with my youngest son sitting in the car. His brother was in the first photo.
Best regards,
Daren Beal
East Sussex, England
December 3, 2008
1959 Type W121 190Db sedan
owner: Dirk-Juergen Schaper, M.D. / dirk.schaper@verizon.net / Bavaria, Germany
Purchased in 1991 in San Diego, California. Shipped to Bavaria, Germany in 1995. Two owners, no rust at all.
Photo submitted January 25, 2005
Type W121 190b sedan
owner: Jan van Geyt / belggium@aol.com
Mercedes-Benz Type 190Db Ponton sedan
owner: Marc Mommen / Belgium
1959 Type W121 190Db sedan
owner: Manfred Rührig / manfred.ruehrig@freenet.de / Frankonia, Germany
Photo submitted: May 19, 2008
1960 Type W121 190b sedan with Webasto sliding sunroof
current owners: Steve and Cathylee
Arbaugh / stevearbaugh@comcast.net
Oak Brook, Illinois (suburb of Chicago) USA
A very nice Ponton sedan with the Webasto sliding sunroof, four cylinder gasoline engine, and four speed manual transmission.
Engine number: 121.920-40-014919
Chassis number: 121.011-10-014751In the first photo, the car is shown in front of the Francis Stuyvesant Peabody Estate which was built in 1920 as the summer home for the Peabody family that lived on Lakeshore Drive in Chicago. The house now belongs to the DuPage Parks District and is available for rent for special events.
Photo (above) submitted: August 14, 2009
Same car, different location. This shot of the 1960 Type 190b appeared in the Fall 2009 edition of the Flor catalog. They used Steve's car for one of their promotional shots.
Garage photo added: September 25, 2009
1960 Type W121 190b sedan
owner: Alex Dearborn / Kittery Point, Maine USA
Photo submitted January 8, 2007
1960 Type W121 190b sedan
owner: Ton Regeling / Dodgeville, Wisconsin USA
Photo submitted July 24, 2007
1960 Type W121 190b sedan
owner: Thomas Fox / Orem, Utah USA
Photo (taken with cell phone) submitted April 13, 2007
1960 Type W121 190b sedan
photo submitted January 11, 2014
owner: Frank Allocca / Chester, New Jersey USA
former owner: Thomas Morehouse / Eastford, Connecticut USA
Bonneville Salt Flats in early October 2013 during a cross-country trip from Connecticut to California and back. Total miles on trip: 7,386. I left Logan, Utah around 9:00 a.m. that day, drove through Salt Lake City, and stopped at the Bonneville Salt Flats Proving Ground on my way to Elko, Nevada (where I tightened my fan belt and generator). Just thought it might be a nice change from the "shiny car in front of the beautiful house" photos folks often have. I don't have either one!
1960 Type W121 190b sedan
owner: Mung Chen / Mountain View, California USA
photo submitted June 25, 2014
My 190b "resurrection" project is finally drawing to a conclusion. The car was undergoing a complete restoration 26 years ago. The owner became ill, and sold the project to another guy, who just left it in his barn for 25 years. I bought the project in 2013. It now runs smoothly. Many thanks to you and the mbzponton.org website for providing the information that saved me a lot of time.
Type 180b/190b Ponton sedan with Webasto sliding sunroof
Gotthard Pass (Switzerland)
photo uploaded May 2, 2022
1960 Type W121 190b sedan
owner: Robert Walters / scootnix@mindspring.com /
Sacramento, California USA
1960 Type W121 190b sedan (RHD)
owner: Nick Ratcliffe nsratcliffe@optusnet.com.au / Sydney, Australia
Photo submitted: November 13, 2002
1960 Type W121 190b sedan
owner: Jordan Ponce Gambirazio / Lima Peru
1960 Type W121 190b sedan
former original owner: Larry Hansen / Penn Yan, New York USA
1960 Type W121 190b sedan with Right Hand Drive (RHD)
owner: Lourenço Pinheiro / Portugal
1960 Type W121 190b sedan with Right Hand Drive (RHD)
owner: Michel Malik / michel567@yahoo.fr / Sydney, Australia
I bought Skippy, my 1960 Type 190b Ponton sedan, on eBay a few months ago from Melbourne, in Victoria. He is my second Ponton. I also have a 1956 Type 220S, which I need to finish restoring. I gave him a paint job, a serious tune up and a lot of rewiring. He rides smoothly and is a pleasure to drive. I hope to have Skippy registered (licensed) by the end of November 2005.
Photo submitted: November 17, 2005
1960 Type W121 190b sedan
owner: Salvador Delgado González / Guadalajara, Jalisco, México
Photos submitted July 30, 2004
1960 Type W121 190Db sedan with Webasto sliding sunroof
former owner: Steffen Mueller's father / Berlin, Germany
Steffen writes, "This 190Db was built in 1960 and was used by my father until 1977. The next owner sold it in the late 1990s." Note the extra chrome trim, and the fender running lights.
Photo submitted: February 9, 2005
1960 Type W121 190Db sedan with Webasto sliding sunroof
owner: Erich Pfitzer / Buetthard, Germany
Photo submitted: March 12, 2017
1960 Type W121 190Db sedan
owner: Bob Graham (a.k.a. "Frozen Bob") / Prescott, Ontario, Canada
1960 Type W121 190Db sedan
owner: Eric Schusterman / eos815@gmail.com / Bend, Oregon USA
Well, I managed to hold onto the 1960 190D yet again. Now it has taken on a new chapter in my life – the getaway (albeit slow) machine for my wedding! Hope you enjoy the photos. I can jot up a little story if you like, but I think it is somewhat self explanatory. There are more photos but didn't want to burden you with too many.
Eric Schusterman
September 22, 2015
1960 Type W121 190Db sedan
owners: Bob and Connie Krause / San Jose, California USA
Photo: Dave Sandlin / November, 2002
1960 Type W121 190Db sedan
owner: Ashly Fernandez / Cochin, India
1960 Type W121 190Db sedan with Webasto sliding sunroof
former owner: Gail Levey / Capitola, California USA
1961 Type W121 190b sedan
owner: Upesh Gulati / Pune, India
Photo uploaded: September 14, 2015
1961 Type W121 190b sedan
This Ponton sedan sold for $47,000 USD in 2016.
Photos uploaded: May 25, 2016
more photos (17 Mb zip)
Greetings fellow Ponton owners,
I hope you're all doing fine. I will share some recent news: I sold my 1961 190b in a private transaction for $47k USD to another collector. My purpose to share this event is to add incentive to other Ponton owners to value and appreciate their cars. Sometimes it´s sad for me to see the first ones to devaluate our Ponton cars are the owners. That's what I feel, I may be wrong. In any case, I think that a private deal for this amount for a 190b is good news for all taking care of these lovely cars. There are 150+ photos with all details about the car included in the zip file.
Regards,
Ricardo Alarcón Jiménez
Mexico City
May 25, 2016
1961 Type W121 190b sedan
Miguel Antonio Bravo / miguelbravo@starmedia.com / Mexico
"This Mercedes-Benz was built in Mexico, and now I drive it every single day to work. Here is some additional information of my car: Its original owner was an American named Robert Robertson Kearson who owned it from 1961 to 1976. It was bought in Mexico City, but the car "lived" in Cuernavaca (a beautiful city 60 miles away from Mexico City). In that year, he sold it to Mrs. Fernandez. She owned it until 1992. During that time, Mrs. Fernadez' Husband painted it a silver color. That was the color it had when my grandfather saw it on the road from Mexico City to Cuernavaca. The car was grounded almost 10 years. After that, my grandpa bought it, painted it black, tuned it up (almost like new!) and after that, I bought it. Before I got this car, I thought that every Mercedes-Benz in Mexico was imported. Now I know that they were established here since 1959 or so. The mass production of Mercedes-Benz in Mexico really began with the 220b Fintail model. Well, that's the story of my car."
Best regards,
Miguel Antonio Bravo
Photo submitted: July 16, 2002
1961 Type W121 190b sedan
Bassam Keileh / bassamkeileh69@gmail.com / Chicago, Illinois USA
Hi Jeff,
This is the 1961 Mercedes-Benz Type 190b Ponton sedan that I bought three months ago. I am restoring it myself.
Best regards,
Bassam Keileh
Chicago, Illinois
May 19, 2009
1961 Mercedes-Benz Type 190b after restoration
Bassam Keileh / Chicago / March 25, 2016
1961 Type W121 190b sedan
Düsseldorf / Germany
Photo submitted: March 31, 2003
1961 Type W121 190b sedan
owner: Peter Naghavi pnaghavi1@yahoo.com / San Clemente, California USA
Photo submitted April 18, 2007
1961 Type W121 190b sedan with Webasto sliding sunroof
owner: Markus Benedikt Biewer / markus@biewer.com / Saarbruecken, Germany
Photo submitted: September 18, 2003
1961 Type W121 190Db sedan
owner: Farshid Feyzi / ffeyzi@psl.wisc.edu / Madison, Wisconsin USA
I bought my 1961 190Db in Wisconsin in May of 2002 and I am the fourth owner. The car has spent all its life in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. So it is pretty rusty below and has some holes in the body. Otherwise, it is in really good shape.
Last winter I stripped and sanded it down and refilled the holes. Then I had it painted the original color. I also fixed up many little things that were not working due to age. The great thing about the car is that it is all there and it all works, even the window washer! I have a lot of fun driving it around in good weather. It is stored in winters. I don't even try starting it in Wisconsin winters!
The car does burn oil at a high rate. But it gets about 40-45 mpg! So I don't mind too much. I replaced the valve seals, but this did not help any. I had a leak down test done and one of the cylinders is near the low limit. So I am guessing it is the rings. That project will have to wait.
You can see the optional bumper guards which were listed separately in the original bill of sale. The serial number of this car puts it in the last several thousand of this model. It is one of the very last of a true classic.Kind regards,
Farshid Feyzi
February 10, 2004
1961 Type W121 190b sedan
owner: Farouk El-Khalil / farouk@lebolive.com / Lebanon
Chassis number: 121.010-10026916
Engine number: 121.920-10027356Hello, This is a photo of me driving in a classic car show that took place in Lebanon during the summer of 2004. I purchased this 190b from a dealer here in Lebanon who had just imported it from Germany. According to the records, he said it was always owned by the same person since new. The mileage reading is just over 17,000 km and the state of the car indicates that the mileage reading is true. However, I would like to get to know the owner, as the car dealer said he lost the papers containing the owner's name, and find out if the reading is indeed true, and why all these years the car was unused. The car was in excellent condition and I did very little restoration to it. I also own another 1962 180c Ponton sedan and a 1961 190SL roadster.
Many thanks and regards,Farouk El-Khalil
October 29, 2004
1961 Type W121 190b sedan with Right Hand Drive (RHD)
owner: Ko Htut / Yangon, Myanmar (formerly Burma)
My name is Htay Aung Moe, and I own a 1972 Mercedes-Benz Type W108 280S sedan. I visit the mbzponton web page regularly, and like it very much. My location is Yangon (formerly Rangoon), Myanmar (formerly Burma). I am sending you two photos of my friend's 1960 Mercedes-Benz Type 190b Ponton sedan. My friend, the owner of this Ponton, is Ko Htut.
Myanmar had many Pontons until 1986 when the government suddenly announced the cancellation of early registration number (old) vehicles. As a consequence, many classic vehicles, including Pontons, were taken to the crusher. This was very short sighted. Now, only a few Pontons (Types 180/190/220S) can be seen in Yangon. But almost all of them changed their engines to a Japanese diesel. Ko Htut's 1961 Type 190 still has the original engine.
Best regards,Htay Aung Moe
moe67@mail4u.com
October 2, 2006
1962 Type W121 190b sedan
owner: Hans Hohle / Green Valley, Arizona USA
My 1962 Mercedes-Benz model 190b Ponton sedan is located in Green Valley, Arizona. I purchased it in 1985 from its second owner in Jackson, California. The first owner bought it in 1961 at Coventry Motors in Hollywood. I have all the original books and service records. I believe it has 104,000 miles, and it is in running condition. No rust, never driven on salty roads — everything but the seat covers and head liner is original. What a car!!!
Hans Hohle
Green Valley, Arizona
January 8, 2012
Type W121 190Db taxi sedan (RHD)
Hong Kong
Type W121 190b sedan in Ireland (perhaps the Glendalough region?)
"Mercedes-Benz in aller Welt" circa 1961
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