Certain cars have a sense of occasion or a sense of being more regal than the humdrum family sedan. Rolls Royce would be a classic example of this which they have maintained to this day. Another brand that had a sense of specialness was Mercedes-Benz, especially the models before the 1970s. One such model is the 200, but not just any 200, but a Sunroof Coupe version in stunning condition. This would go some way to explaining its current price of $89,000 on eBay here. Should you have a spare $89 grand down the back of your sofa, then head over to Southampton, New York to pick up this very special car.
Although it looks regal, this version of the Mercedes was actually the entry-level car in the range, but time has aged it well and so it looks like it would fit in well with the aforementioned Rolls Royce. This was also known as the Pontoon, thanks to its styling which was very much of the time. Our car here has just come out from a 4-year (!) restoration and retains its original color of Light Blue. The car has covered 95,820 miles in its life and should be ready for the next few decades of trouble-free motoring.
Our Benz is powered by the 6-cylinder, driving the rear wheels which are perfect for wafting rather than speed runs – after all it only has 85hp. So whilst you are cruising along you can admire the immaculate interior, draped in wood, leather, and chrome. The wooden dash is polished to perfection, and the seats look extremely comfortable. Even though it’s a two-door coupe, it can fit 4 in the car with its rear bench seat. All passengers can also enjoy the sunroof, a rare addition for cars from this era.
This really leaves the new owner with a dilemma – it’s almost too nice to drive, but would be a shame not to showcase it amongst a sea of dreary modern cars. For the new owner, I imagine that this will end up at specialist car events once or twice a year, before going back into a climate-controlled garage for the rest of the year. Given the price, this is beyond the budget of many, but given a day with this Mercedes-Benz, where would you take it?
Wow, that is SWEET!
What a gorgeous, gorgeous car! Even if I owned it and hardly ever drove it, I’d probably need to spend a lot of time just sitting in it, or even sitting on a lawn chair in front of it, just admiring it for hours.
Beautiful car! Technically a “Ponton”, not a “Pontoon”.
The fuel injected SE model was more fleet afoot. This looks like either an auto trans or Hydrak (auto clutch) – clutch engages when the shift lever is touched.
Southampton is where I grew up.
Frankly, I find the styling stodgy if not deadly dull. I know that this is subjective and there are some spectacular MBs from the 30s up to the present day. This thing leaves me cold. I never thought that the pontoon MBs looked like anything but what they were: utilitarian. It does not translate well into a quasi- sport model. Were anything that looked like this made by say, AMC, it would be on the low end of the collectable ladder. The MB badge is all this has to offer.
Can someone correct me if I’m wrong on this but was the dash, radio surround and door caps painted as faux wood trim unlike a Jaguar which used veneered wood trim?
Nope real wood and thicker then used in Mercedes up from 1972
A friend of me had two of this rare coupes and 3 cabrio and 35
Ponton limos. Quite a very smooth and comf’table car to drive.
Thanks Mitchell for filling me in on that. Some years ago there was. 220 small sedan (at least that what I thought it was) nearby that I really loved the look of. Should’ve chased it down but I was working on some Brit cars at tue time.
These were hand-built and vastly more expensive and exclusive than the sedans they were based on. It cost about the same as a Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible, and was 175% of the price of a 220S sedan. They are rolling works of art.