Among the cars that could have graced those legendary Turbo chewing gum inserts, the Mercedes-Benz Ponton holds a special place. Not because it was particularly exotic or flashy – quite the opposite. These were the workhorses of West German prosperity, the cars that rebuilt a nation and pioneered safety technology that we take for granted today.
Brief history about this unsung hero:
The Mercedes-Benz “Ponton” series is a range of sedans from Daimler-Benz, introduced starting in 1953, and subsequently nicknamed ‘Ponton’ (the German word for “pontoon”), referring to its ponton styling, a prominent styling trend that unified the previously articulated hood, body, fenders and runnings boards into a singular, often slab-sided envelope.
The name “Ponton” wasn’t even official – it was just what people called these cars because of their unified, boat-like body design. Mercedes never used the nickname themselves, but it stuck. And for good reason – these cars looked like nothing that came before them.
The revolution in a three-piece suit:
What made the Ponton revolutionary wasn’t immediately visible. The 1953 Mercedes-Benz W120, 1.8 L four-cylinder, four-door sedan, available as the 180 petrol and the 180D diesel became Mercedes’ first unibody production car, abandoning the traditional body-on-frame construction for something much more modern.
But the real genius was hidden in the engineering. Austrian-Hungarian engineer B?la Bar?nyi originally invented and patented the crumple zone concept in 1937 before he worked for Mercedes-Benz, and in a more developed form in 1952. The Ponton was where this safety revolution began to take shape.
Think about it – in 1953, when most cars were still built like tanks (rigid and unforgiving), Mercedes was already thinking about what happens when those tanks hit something. The Ponton introduced the concept that a car should sacrifice itself to save its occupants.
The taxi that conquered Germany:
The 180-190 four-cylinders were widely used as German taxis, and this tells you everything about their character. Reliable, economical, unpretentious. These weren’t cars for showing off – they were cars for getting things done.
The range was impressively diverse for its time. You could get a basic 180 with 52 horsepower that would do 126 km/h, or step up to the 220S with fuel injection and 100 horsepower that could hit 160 km/h. There were even elegant coupes and convertibles for those with more romantic inclinations.
Why this would have been perfect for Turbo:
In the original Turkish Turbo series, practical European cars were often featured alongside the exotic sports cars. The Ponton would have fit perfectly – it represented the new Germany, the economic miracle, the transition from wartime austerity to peacetime prosperity.
For Soviet kids in the 80s and 90s, seeing a Mercedes Ponton on a Turbo insert would have been fascinating in a different way than seeing a Ferrari. This was a car that actually existed in their world – you might spot one at the embassy district, or see it in a foreign film. It was aspirational but not completely impossible.
The lasting legacy:
The ‘Ponton’ saloons were the automaker’s main production models until 1959, adding up to 80% of Mercedes-Benz car production between 1953 and 1959. These cars literally built Mercedes-Benz as a volume manufacturer.
More importantly, they established safety as a Mercedes hallmark. Every time you see a modern car’s safety rating, every time you walk away from an accident that might have killed your grandfather, you owe a small debt to the engineers who designed the Ponton’s crumple zones.
Personal note:
I’ve always found something poetic about the Ponton. It’s not the most beautiful Mercedes, not the fastest, not the most luxurious. But it might be the most important. In our imaginary Turbo series, this would be the card that teaches you that sometimes the most significant innovations are the ones you never see.
The car on this imaginary insert would probably be a 1956 220S in that distinctive Mercedes silver, photographed from a three-quarter front angle to show off the unified body design that gave the car its nickname. The background would be simple – maybe the Mercedes factory in Stuttgart, or a generic European street scene.
Because that’s what the Ponton was about – being part of the everyday landscape while quietly revolutionizing everything.
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