The first Mercedes-Benz passenger car with a Ponton body was presented in August 1953 - the 180 model. Characteristic features of the Ponton body first realised in the USA in 1946 were the fully integrated wings and the rectangular footprint.
The sister model, the 190, was introduced in March 1956. It had a significantly more powerful engine rated at 75 hp (compared with the 52 hp of the 180 model).