1957 W180 220S Cabriolet Restoration,
AKA “The Money Pit”

by Bob Gunthorp
edited by Sheila Heaney

We purchased this 1957 Mercedes-Benz W180 Ponton 220S Cabriolet in August 1980 from a local Mercedes-Benz dealer, Hoehn Motors, that is about 45 miles from us. I purchased this 220S convertible with the intention of using it as a parts car. Terry took one look at it and said, "That is a pretty car and it has great lines. I think that we should keep it". So, we did.
We started restoring it in 1980, however a number of issues delayed the restoration until it was finally completed in December 1992. Terry went for her fist ride in it that Christmas day.

The Specs

Chassis number: 180.030-7500485.
Body number: A180.030-6500354.
Engine number (replacement engine, see below): 180.920- 7501139.
Original cost: 21,500 DM in Germany.
There were 2,178 Type 220S Mercedes Ponton Cabriolets built from 1956 to 1959.
This is a European model and was completed February 26, 1957.
A NOTE OF INTEREST: The body number is for 1956 and the Chassis number is for 1957. This would mean that the vehicle’s assembly began in 1956 and was not completed until 1957. It was delivered to the first owner via the factory branch in Hamburg, Germany. It was first registered in California in May 1979.

Facing the Challenges with our Mercedes Restoration

When we started diving into the 220S Mercedes Ponton we realized it was going to be a huge task. The floor from the front seats back including the trunk floor was completely rusted away. One of the rear thrust arm mount was rusted off and the thrust arm jammed into the pavement. The front fenders must have been replaced in the past, as they were absolutely rust free. The upholstery was shot. The convertible top was shot. It had the wrong engine in it, (a W111 220Sb M180 IV engine) with a running problem. The transmission was in poor condition. The wood trim was in poor condition with the veneer separating. Several chrome pieces were missing and several others were damaged beyond repair. All the other chrome pieces had been poorly redone in the past.
Sometime in the past, when the rear fenders were redone, the radiuses for the rear wheel openings had been done incorrectly and the chrome trim around the openings was reversed from left to right. So the radiuses of the openings were also reversed. The later version rear bumper had been installed. I was able to use a rust free floor pan from a W180 Mercedes sedan to replace the rear section of the floor. I found the last NOS right rear fender available in the US and probably the world. By using this new fender we now had the correct radiuses for the wheel openings. The same supplier also had the last NOS panel for under the trunk lid. We used part of the original trunk lid and pieces from 2 sedan trunk lids to make a good trunk lid. I also found a correct 1957 M180 engine and rebuilt it. The vehicle was painted a cream color when we bought it. We repainted our 220S convertible the original (DB 516) "Medium Red".

A note on restoration quality: This is not a Concourse car as there was simply too much wrong with the car to even try to restore it to Concourse condition. At the time we purchased it these vehicles were nowhere near the value that they reached after 2000. The original veneer was a very plain wood. The vehicles produced for the European market did not come with the fancier
wood trim, so the wood was done in burled maple. Because this was not project focusing on restoring it to original condition, we used the late Mercedes factory vinyl material for the upholstery instead of the leather that was the standard interior
upholstery.

The Pleasure of Completing the Project

We rebuilt our Mercedes W180 220S Ponton Cabriolet just for use as a “driver” vehicle, and what a “driver” it has turned out to be. Everywhere we go it’s always been a crowd pleaser. Just in 2002 alone we used it in eight parades. The fold down rear seat was an option available only in Europe. I equipped it with the optional headrests. I also added the short wave adapter and a power antenna. Terry named this car "The Money Pit". However, we still have less money in it than we would have paid for a new Mercedes-Benz cabriolet.
Our Mercedes convertible has been in many parades including Mardis Gras, three High School football “Home Coming” events. Santa drove it to a Marine Corps Christmas event. The car has been featured in several magazines. It's a true success story.

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