It was a kind of scorching summer season 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 effectively, so when i heard the unmistakable sound of an M156 engine I made a decision to go away my buddies 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 positive 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 standard BMW i7 chauffeur automobiles.

As I circled 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 arms was the subsequent 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 bought my digital camera 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 top of that week, this all black Ponton had been seen over 20 million instances on social media. That is when it grew to become my mission to find the automobile as my subsequent Challenge 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 many years 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 at this time. The corporate that constructed it was tagged quite a few instances on my put up and we managed to set a date for shoot and a few clarification. What adopted subsequent was a narrative that I by no means anticipated, probably the most orthodox strategy to a mission automobile.

Refill your cup of tea and hearken to what the proprietor needed to say…

The corporate that constructed it’s referred to as Xtreem Motors based mostly in Mitcham, a small village in Southwest London. Ivo the proprietor ran me by the mission and although I didn’t take any notes it’s laborious 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 resulting from Covid, he determined to get busy on a private mission.

Ivo began life on the streets of London after migrating from Bulgaria, having grown up working for his fathers storage enterprise he was capable of monetize his acquired expertise as a road mechanic in London early 2000s. He ultimately saved up sufficient to arrange his storage enterprise identical to his father and as of this writing his final 23 years have seen him arrange one of many greatest automobile and motorbike specialist facilities in Southwest London. Quoting him, “…I don’t keep in mind not having soiled oily arms whereas rising up, I used to be at all times within the storage with my dad”.

So what occurs when you will have an enormous empty storage facility throughout lockdown? Mechanics can not keep dwelling all day even when the world is falling aside, they’ll at all times discover issues to repair or make. Ivo traveled out of London the place a younger lad wanted some pressing money in change for his 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe (W204).

The lad had marketed it for about £25,000 however Ivo negotiated the worth all the way down to £17,000 for a fast deal. It was a beautiful white C63 AMG Coupe with the efficiency pack and traditional purple 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 coated 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 however it dawned on him that the younger lad merely didn’t need 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 depart! He nonetheless wanted to wire the remainder of the cash however the younger man didn’t take care of any of that, he simply wished him gone.

Anyway, Ivo drove again dwelling smiling on the complete scenario and the way it unfolded dramatically. He had two automobiles and an excessive amount of time on his arms, a couple of of his mechanics have been nonetheless round regardless of the restrictions on folks motion. Working from dwelling won’t lower it for this explicit mission.

That is what i understood of this mission, or slightly let me put it like this. 1961 Mercedes-Benz Ponton + 2012 C63 AMG = Ponton 63 AMG. Merely put, two automobiles grew to become one. Let’s learn how, and in case you are 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 workforce 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, possibly the gallery under will clarify higher. Inside per week they’d stripped each automobiles down. The C63 AMG solely had the chassis left to it, it might nonetheless run because the engine and electronics have been left intact. They needed to take the inside out to create a working area 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 will by no means match, and that’s why all of us thought probably 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 this can be a 2 door automobile so new pillars additionally wanted to be modified, a number of framing was finished and the complete automobile has a completely 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 will not be useful and will not be associated to the precise exhaust system.

The inside is absolutely W204 C63 AMG, with out the additional insulation and padding, no air luggage both however you do get a 6 level harness system which you don’t want except you will have a helmet on.

The automobile is lighter than the unique C63 due to its naked bare inside. Aside from the seats and the dashboard, the inside is just about bare. I observed the roof will get fairly scorching which in turns makes the cabin hotter however you will have 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 sort of prompt 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 mentioned earlier they retained all of the electronics from the 2012 AMG.

So then, what do you name this? A Ponton mission or a C63 AMG mission. Two automobiles grew to become one, they exist inside one another.

For now adios, see you subsequent time after we discover one other cool mission to reveal.