W180 S-Class Sedan

The first vehicle considered an S-Class was the W180 Ponton. Commonly known as the 220S. Introduced in 1955, the W180 was known as Ponton due to its styling. The exterior moved away from the sandwiched design of the wheel fender|engine|wheel fender design. Instead, a unibody design was now offered. The upright rectangular Mercedes-Benz grille is still featured along with the Tri-Star on top. The exterior had that prestigious and elegant look.
The interior was equally elegant. Wood trim was featured on the entire dash. The whole dash was covered in wood. Something you couldn't expect even in a Rolls-Royce. Wood was also located on the areas around the windows. The areas not covered in wood were completely upholstered in Nappa leather, pleated and stretched. Switches were chromed to give a sparkle to the interior. One of the new luxury features was a radio and an audio system, a very rare feature on a car.
Propulsion in the 220S was a 2.2Litre Inline-6 engine. The Sedan was very popular among Government official and others who could afford one. Overall, Mercedes-Benz was a marque for the very rich. Only the riches could afford such a car. In those days, BMW was not in the same sector as Mercedes-Benz. Where Mercedes-Benz was for the rich, BMW was for the middle/high class. Production of the W180 Ponton ended in 1957 and was replaced by the W128 Ponton, known as the 220SE.