Mercedes-Benz Ponton Variants

(4 and 6 cylinder / pick-up / wagon / ambulance / hearse)

Origins and Production Data // Variant Photo Gallery

Terminology

Origins

Until 1965, the only Daimler-Benz approved kombis were built in West Germany by the coach builder Binz in Lorch, and by Miesen in Bonn. Binz had the most experience with Mercedes-Benz, having built kombis on the separate body-chassis Type W136 170 models in the early 1950s. Miesen began building kombis when the Type W121 190 sedan was introduced in 1956. The situation in Europe in the late 1950s to the early 1960s was the following: kombis were almost unknown except as utility vehicles (mostly ambulances and hearses) which accounts for their low production numbers. The conversions were done by small workshops (mainly Binz). Miesen made mostly ambulances. Pollmann also built ambulances and a 300d hearse in Bremen.

Binz Brochure

binz_brochure1.jpg (192983 bytes) binz_brochure2.jpg (190607 bytes)

Brochure courtesy: Bob Gunthorp / October 20, 2003

Binz Coach Builder's Badges

Binz Karosserie coach builder's badge
Courtesy: David Willoughby / December 25, 2003

Binz Karosserie badge Nr. 1050 on a 1956 Type 180D Ponton kombi

Courtesy: Udo Goetz

Photos uploaded November 28, 2018

 

Binz Karosserie badge Nr. 1527 on a 1960 Type 190b Ponton kombi

Photo uploaded October 18, 2015

Binz Karosserie badge Nr. 1552 / 1961 Type 190Db Ponton kombi / Paradise, California

Photo (snarfed from eBay) uploaded December 4, 2013

Binz coach builder's badge Nr. 1563 on a Type 190Db Ponton kombi (wagon)

Photo uploaded March 8, 2012

Binz Karosserie badge Nr. 1572 – from a 1961 Ponton kombi in Pennsylvania
Courtesy: Jeff Apel / December 9, 2013

Photo uploaded December 9, 2013




Binz Karosserie badge Nr. 1582 – from a 1960 180Db Ponton kombi in Germany

Photo uploaded May 14, 2015

Binz badge Nr. 1592 on a Mercedes-Benz Type W121 190b Ponton kombi (wagon)
Courtesy: Walter Klatt / February 7, 2006

Binz badge Nr. 1592 on a Mercedes-Benz Type W121 190b Ponton kombi (wagon)
Courtesy: Walter Klatt / February 7, 2006

Miesen Coach Builder's Badge

Miesen coachbuilder's badge on 1967 Type 230 (W110) ambulance
photo: Ron van Seventer / Fashion Island / May 2001

owner: Bob Gunthorp / photo: Bob Gunthorp / Fashion Island / May 2001

Chassis with partial 2-door body destined to become a pick-up

Right hand steering for South African market

Mercedes-Benz Ponton body destined to become an ambulance or wagon

From the 1960 Technical Data Manual (TDM)

Production Numbers

Courtesy: Mercedes-Benz IG

Translation

Translation

The Utility-Benz

Overview of MB Chassis Variants

Chassis

Model

Implementation

Wheelbase

Construction Period
120.000 180a/b/c chassis with partial 4-door body for ambulance 2650 4.55-10.62
120.001 180/a/b/c chassis with partial 2-door body for for pick-up 2650 11.55-10.62
120.002 180 chassis with partial 4-door body for wagon 2650 9.55-7.57
120.100 180D/Db/Dc chassis with partial 4-door body for ambulance 2650 4.55-10.62
120.101 180D/Db/Dc chassis with partial 2-door body for for pick-up 2650 11.55-10.62
120.102 180D/Db/Dc chassis with partial 4-door body for station wagon 2650 9.55-10.62
121.000 190/b chassis with partial 4-door body for ambulance 2650 4.56-8.61
121.002 190/b chassis with partial 4-door body for station wagon 2650 4.56-8.61
121.100 190D/Db chassis with partial 4-door body for ambulance 2650 7.58-8.61
121.101 190D/Db chassis with partial 2-door body for for pick-up 2650 7.58-8.61
121.102 190D/Db chassis with partial 4-door body for station wagon 2650 7.58-8.61
105.000 219 chassis with partial 4-door body for station wagon 2750 4.56-7.59
180.000 220S chassis with partial 4-door body for station wagon 2820 4.56-7.59

Note: In the original table, the data in the sixth column does not necessarily correspond to the data on the same row. For clarity, the column for "Total Production Numbers per Model" is placed in a separate table.

Total Fahrgestelle Production per Model

Model

Production
180 279
180a 198
180b 382
180c 183
180D 2,439
180Db 400
180Dc 222
190 354
190b 349
190D 136
190Db 711
219 3
220S 11

Total Production of Ponton Variants: 5,667

Annual Mercedes-Benz Ponton Production Data by Model
Source: Mercedes-Benz Personenwagen 1886-1986 / Werner Oswald / ISBN-13: 9783613011335 / ISBN-10: 3613011336


View text version (with translations) on Production Overview page

Created: September 3, 2001 / Jeff Miller
Thanks to: Helu Hansen / Mercedes-Benz IG / Henry Magno
Last Update: May 06, 2021
© www.mbzponton.org

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