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 had 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 properly, so when i heard the unmistakable sound of an M156 engine I made a decision to go away my buddies who had been all ready for a McLaren Senna to begin up because the proprietor completed a espresso.

To my shock, I couldn’t discover the car making that sound, I knew for certain it was the 6.2L V8 AMG engine however there was nothing current to say that noise. A couple of 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 gentle site visitors forward however nothing acquainted, simply a few Flying Spurs and the standard BMW i7 chauffeur automobiles.

As I rotated to stroll again to the McLaren Senna, site visitors began transferring 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 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 top of that week, this all black Ponton had been seen over 20 million occasions on social media. That is when it grew to become my mission to find the automobile as my subsequent Venture Publicity characteristic.

The 12 months is 1961, MB 190 is the toughest sedans available on the market (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 simple, the web has made issues simple at present. The corporate that constructed it was tagged quite a few occasions 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, probably the most orthodox strategy to a mission automobile.

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

The corporate that constructed it’s known as Xtreem Motors primarily based in Mitcham, a small village in Southwest London. Ivo the proprietor ran me by way of the mission and although I didn’t take any notes it’s laborious to overlook how the entire thing got here to be.

It began in 2020 nearly when Covid lockdowns had 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 mission.

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 abilities as a avenue 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 all the time within the storage with my dad”.

So what occurs when you’ve a giant empty storage facility throughout lockdown? Mechanics can’t keep house all day even when the world is falling aside, they are going to all the time discover issues to repair or make. Ivo traveled out of London the place a younger lad wanted some pressing money in alternate for his 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe (W204).

The lad had marketed it for about £25,000 however Ivo negotiated the value right down to £17,000 for a fast deal. It was a beautiful white C63 AMG Coupe with the efficiency pack and traditional pink nappa leather-based inside. He traveled with some money as deposit, the steadiness was to be achieved 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 but it surely 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 had 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 look after any of that, he simply wished him gone.

Anyway, Ivo drove again house smiling on the entire state of affairs 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 had been nonetheless round regardless of the restrictions on folks motion. Working from house is not going to reduce it for this explicit mission.

That is what i understood of this mission, or quite 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 regarded like scaffolding. One other group was busy stripping down the W204 C63 AMG Coupe, right here they had 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 may nonetheless run because the engine and electronics had 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 had been left intact.

Then they took the shell of the Ponton and put it on the C63 AMG chassis. After all 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. Nevertheless, 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.

In order that they actually compelled 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, plenty of framing was achieved and your 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 usually are not purposeful and usually are not associated to the precise exhaust system.

The inside is totally 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’ve 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 sizzling which in turns makes the cabin hotter however you’ve totally 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 instantaneous and you’re going to get a number of wheelspins in case your foot is just 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 mission or a C63 AMG mission. Two automobiles grew to become one, they exist inside one another.

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