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It was a type of sizzling summer time afternoons, I used to be taking a stroll in Knightsbridge for some quaint automobile recognizing. Because the saying goes in England, good climate brings out good automobiles. I bumped into a couple of acquainted automobile spotters and exchanged notes simply to see what good automobiles have been on the town that day.
That is the a part of London the place G63s, Cullinans and Urus get ignored by automobile spotters as they’re simply too many. Something under that caliber will get ignored as nicely, so when i heard the unmistakable sound of an M156 engine I made a decision to go away my associates who have been all ready for a McLaren Senna to start out up because the proprietor completed a espresso.
To my shock, I couldn’t discover the automobile making that sound, I knew for certain it was the 6.2L V8 AMG engine however there was nothing current to assert that noise. Just a few automobiles got here with that engine, an SLS AMG can be a pleasant sight however the most well-liked automobile with that engine is the W204 C63 AMG. There was delicate visitors forward however nothing acquainted, simply a few Flying Spurs and the same old BMW i7 chauffeur automobiles.
As I rotated to stroll again to the McLaren Senna, visitors began shifting and the sound got here alive once more. At this level I used to be decided to unravel the thriller.
“Present your self M156!” I assumed to myself, as if a present of palms was the following signage. Then a black cab appeared, very black. However upon nearer inspection I noticed it was not a black cab in any respect however a Mercedes-Benz Ponton wearing full black. By full black I imply darkness, see for your self.
Quick ahead, I received my digicam prepared and made a couple of movies which might later take the web by storm, going viral in each occasion somebody posted them. By the tip of that week, this all black Ponton had been considered over 20 million instances on social media. That is when it turned my mission to find the automobile as my subsequent Undertaking Publicity function.
The 12 months is 1961, MB 190 is the toughest sedans in the marketplace (okay bit much less cooler than the fintails of that period) however nonetheless. 6 a long time later this one has been revived with a full W204 powertrain and inside. 6.2L AMG V8, I’m unsure if it’s even authorized. pic.twitter.com/zZ4y4TNCyY
— Earl Karanja (@Earlsimxx) August 15, 2023
Finding the proprietor was straightforward, the web has made issues straightforward in the present day. The corporate that constructed it was tagged quite a few instances on my submit and we managed to set a date for shoot and a few rationalization. What adopted subsequent was a narrative that I by no means anticipated, essentially the most orthodox strategy to a venture automobile.
Refill your cup of tea and hearken to what the proprietor needed to say…
The corporate that constructed it’s known as Xtreem Motors based mostly in Mitcham, a small village in Southwest London. Ivo the proprietor ran me by means of the venture and although I didn’t take any notes it’s onerous to neglect how the entire thing got here to be.
It began in 2020 nearly when Covid lockdowns have been of their prime, automobile costs had tanked and the entire world was in main panic mode. Ivo had acquired an previous rusty Mercedes-Benz Ponton for subsequent to nothing and he wanted to construct one thing out of it. With no work coming to the workshop on account of Covid, he determined to get busy on a private venture.
Ivo began life on the streets of London after migrating from Bulgaria, having grown up working for his fathers storage enterprise he was in a position to monetize his acquired expertise as a avenue mechanic in London early 2000s. He ultimately saved up sufficient to arrange his storage enterprise similar to his father and as of this writing his final 23 years have seen him arrange one of many largest automobile and motorbike specialist facilities in Southwest London. Quoting him, “…I don’t keep in mind not having soiled oily palms whereas rising up, I used to be all the time within the storage with my dad”.
So what occurs when you’ve an enormous empty storage facility throughout lockdown? Mechanics can not keep dwelling all day even when the world is falling aside, they’ll all the time discover issues to repair or make. Ivo traveled out of London the place a younger lad wanted some pressing money in trade for his 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe (W204).
The lad had marketed it for about £25,000 however Ivo negotiated the value all the way down to £17,000 for a fast deal. It was a stunning white C63 AMG Coupe with the efficiency pack and traditional crimson nappa leather-based inside. He traveled with some money as deposit, the steadiness was to be finished by wire switch. However upon arrival on the lad’s home, issues took a sudden flip.
The lad got here to the window lined up like a mummy, he refused to open the door and directed Ivo to drop the money in a basket. Ivo, a bit confused now, stepped again nevertheless it dawned on him that the younger lad merely didn’t wish to catch covid. So he dropped the money exterior the home, instantly the keys have been thrown to him and he was directed to take the automobile and go away! He nonetheless wanted to wire the remainder of the cash however the younger man didn’t look after any of that, he simply needed him gone.
Anyway, Ivo drove again dwelling smiling on the entire scenario and the way it unfolded dramatically. He had two automobiles and an excessive amount of time on his palms, a couple of of his mechanics have been nonetheless round regardless of the restrictions on folks motion. Working from dwelling is not going to reduce it for this specific venture.
That is what i understood of this venture, or reasonably let me put it like this. 1961 Mercedes-Benz Ponton + 2012 C63 AMG = Ponton 63 AMG. Merely put, two automobiles turned one. Let’s learn the way, and if you’re not refilling your cup but then get a smaller mug rattling it.
Step one was to detach the Ponton shell from its chassis, this concerned a rigorous course of that appeared like scaffolding. One other group was busy stripping down the W204 C63 AMG Coupe, right here they have been eradicating the physique elements whereas retaining the chassis, inside, flooring, engine and all of the electronics.
I don’t even know what to name it, perhaps the gallery under will clarify higher. Inside every week they’d stripped each automobiles down. The C63 AMG solely had the chassis left to it, it may nonetheless run because the engine and electronics have been left intact. They needed to take the inside out to create a working house however the dashboard was largely left intact. Even the sensors have been left intact.
Then they took the shell of the Ponton and put it on the C63 AMG chassis. In fact it might by no means match, and that’s why all of us thought essentially the most logical course of can be to take the C63 powertrain and put it into the Ponton. Nonetheless, the Ponton’s chassis would by no means deal with the torque and energy of a modern-day AMG not to mention a naturally aspirated V8 engine that runs on a secret cocktail of elephant’s testical juice.
So that they actually pressured the Ponton shell on the C63 AMG platform. Bear in mind it is a 2 door automobile so new pillars additionally wanted to be modified, loads of framing was finished and your entire automobile has a totally welded/bolted roll cage to extend the rigidity. The exhaust pipings you see within the rear part are a part of the additional framing wanted for stability, so no, these are usually not purposeful and are usually not associated to the precise exhaust system.
The inside is absolutely W204 C63 AMG, with out the additional insulation and padding, no air baggage both however you do get a 6 level harness system which you don’t want except you’ve a helmet on.
The automobile is lighter than the unique C63 because of its naked bare inside. Aside from the seats and the dashboard, the inside is just about bare. I observed the roof will get fairly sizzling which in turns makes the cabin hotter however you’ve absolutely functioning A/C from a contemporary German sedan. I needed to ask him to show off the A/C because it was getting fairly chilly throughout our brief drive to central London.
Talking of the drive, it drives like a contemporary automobile, think about a lighter C63 AMG. The torque is nearly on the spot and you’re going to get a number of wheelspins in case your foot is simply too fast to the ground. In consolation mode it drives very quietly however in Sport and Sport+ the bully comes alive. You even have handbook mode, as i stated earlier they retained all of the electronics from the 2012 AMG.
So then, what do you name this? A Ponton venture or a C63 AMG venture. Two automobiles turned one, they exist inside one another.
For now adios, see you subsequent time after we discover one other cool venture to reveal.
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