Floatation Device: ’58 Mercedes-Benz 220 Coupe
The first 220S Cabriolet was introduced at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September of 1955. The Coupes followed in October of 1956. These cars were very luxurious for their time and that makes them very special today. Mercedes-Benz realized that there was a market for a less expensive, more personal automobile than the much larger 300 Series. This was achieved by shortening the chassis of the very successful 220 Sedan by 4.7 inches and adding lots of chrome, wood and leather. Still hand-built, these elegant automobiles were very drivable and had good, solid handling.
The shortened platform for the Coupes/Cabriolets are very different from their sedan counterparts.The overhang behind the rear wheel is longer. The longer doors made for a very appealing look to the car and to save weight, the doors were steel skimmed over alloy frames. Lower in weight, with better structural strength than the previous model, the 220 was a better handling car as well. Today’s find has little information provided by the seller but the photographs look like this could be a solid car to start with. Truth is, we don’t like cars photographed in front of storage-bay doors. But the car does look well cared for and not a future prize in the Storage Wars Cable TV Show. By the way, these Mercedes models are known as “Pontons” or “Pontoons” for their rather large, inflated fenders. We like the silver exterior with lipstick red interior. The wood appears to have been redone at one point. We think these will be recognized for the quality and exclusivity they represent. Bidding on the eBay Auction has been brisk. If you want to get involved, click here for the eBay Auction.
I have heard about costs in the $1,500 range but Customs & Port fees notwithstanding, cost to my buyer was nearly $4,000 – that said I am pretty sure the car did not go in a shared container, and I agree some savings can be had there. Part of my guy’s issue is the car also had to be ground transported inland, (Switzerland) but most of that cost supported the actual shipping.
After checking out this dealer’s websight it is plausable this car is sorted and ready to go, seems like what they would typically do (nice site) – I am not sure the car supports the asking price on his site but it is a clean example. I have seen decent private party examples under $30K and unrestored examples at less than half that. Will be an education for me to track this one as my interest in Pontons is growing…
Actually $1300 to Rotterdam, Germany or England is very achievable in a shared 40′ container. Customs & port fees will be add’l of course. This car will do way more than $25k (my humble prediction).
Great looking car, hope to add one to my small MB stable someday, more unique than a sedan but still a fraction of the open version in terms of cost. While it is a dealer ad, I believe, having shipped a car oversees about a year ago, his shipping prices are a bit optomistic. A plus is that it seems to be up and running based on the description, although I would still plan on some time and expense to sort. Current high bid of $25K surely seems fair all around assuming no major sorting needed.