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Ponton or pontoon styling is an automotive design genre that spanned roughly from the 1930s-1960s, when pontoon-like bodywork enclosed the full width and uninterrupted length of a car body — eliminating previously distinct
running board A running board or footboard is a narrow step fitted under the side doors of a tram ( cable car, trolley, or streetcar in North America), car, or truck. It aids entry, especially into high vehicles, and is typical of vintage trams and cars, w ...
s and articulated fenders. The integrated fenders of an automobile with ponton styling may also be called ''Pontoon fenders,'' and the overall trend may also be known as ''envelope styling.'' Now largely archaic, the term ''Ponton'' describes the markedly bulbous, slab-sided configuration of
postwar In Western usage, the phrase post-war era (or postwar era) usually refers to the time since the end of World War II. More broadly, a post-war period (or postwar period) is the interval immediately following the end of a war. A post-war period c ...
European cars, including those of
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
,
Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Grou ...
,
Auto Union Auto Union AG, was an amalgamation of four German automobile manufacturers, founded in 1932 and established in 1936 in Chemnitz, Saxony. It is the immediate predecessor of Audi as it is known today. As well as acting as an umbrella firm f ...
,
DKW DKW (''Dampf-Kraft-Wagen'', en, "steam-powered car", also ''Deutsche Kinder-Wagen'' en, "German children's car". ''Das-Kleine-Wunder'', en, "the little wonder" or ''Des-Knaben-Wunsch'', en, "the boy's wish"- from when the company built to ...
,
Borgward The former Borgward car manufacturing company, based in Bremen, Germany, was founded by Carl F. W. Borgward (1890–1963). It produced cars of four brands, which were sold to a diversified international customer base: Borgward, Hansa, Go ...
,
Lancia Lancia () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of FCA Italy S.p.A., which is currently a Stellantis division. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganised its businesses, but it ...
,
Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
,
Rover Rover may refer to: People * Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian * Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer * Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist Places * Rover, Arkansas, US * Rover, Missouri, US * ...
,
Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...
, and
Volvo The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...
—as well as similar designs from North America and Japan, sometimes — in its most exaggerated usage — called the "bathtub" look in the U.S. The term derives from the
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
and
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
word ''ponton'', meaning 'pontoon'. The
Langenscheidt Langenscheidt () is a German publishing company that specializes in language reference works. In addition to publishing language, monolingual dictionary, dictionaries, Langenscheidt also publishes bilingual dictionaries and travel phrase-books. ...
German–English dictionary defines ''Pontonkarrosserie'' as "all-enveloping bodywork, straight-through side styling, slab-sided styling."


Origin of the trend

In 1921, Hungarian aerodynamicist
Paul Jaray Paul Jaray ( Hungarian: ''Járay Pál''; 11 March 1889 – 22 September 1974) was an engineer, designer, and a pioneer of automotive streamlining. Life Jaray, of Hungarian-Jewish descent, was born in Vienna. Jaray studied at ''Maschinenbauschul ...
requested a patent for a streamlined car with an evenly shaped lower body, that covers the wheels and runs parallel to the floor space. A year later he presented his first running prototype with such a body, the "Ley T6", and in 1923
Auto Union Auto Union AG, was an amalgamation of four German automobile manufacturers, founded in 1932 and established in 1936 in Chemnitz, Saxony. It is the immediate predecessor of Audi as it is known today. As well as acting as an umbrella firm f ...
presented a streamliner concept car, designed by Jaray. Another of the first known cars with a ponton body is the
Bugatti Type 32 The Bugatti Type 32, commonly called the Tank de Tours, was a streamlined racing car built in 1923. It was built to compete in the French Grand Prix, which was held on July 2 in Tours on the same year. The nickname of the car comes from its parti ...
"Tank" which participated in the 1923 French Grand Prix at Tours. In 1922 the
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
engineer
Aurel Persu Aurel Persu (26 December 1890 – 5 May 1977) was a Romanian engineer and pioneer car designer, the first to place the wheels inside the body of the car as part of his attempt to reach the perfect aerodynamic shape for automobiles.
filed a patent application for an “aerodynamically-shaped automobile with the wheels mounted inside the aerodynamic body” having a drag coefficient of only 0.22 and received it in Germany in 1924. Named the ''Persu Streamliner'' the car was built in Germany by Persu, with the help of several local companies. During his research Persu established that the most adequate aerodynamic shape was that of a water droplet falling to the ground. In 1924, Fidelis Böhler designed one of the first production cars with a ponton body, the Hanomag 2/10. The car's body resembled a loaf of
bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...
earning it the
sobriquet A sobriquet ( ), or soubriquet, is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another, that is descriptive. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym, as it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name, without the need of expla ...
of "
Kommissbrot Kommissbrot, formerly Kommißbrot, is a dark type of German bread, baked from rye and other flours, historically used for military provisions. Description Kommissbrot is a dark bread made from rye and wheat flours as a sourdough. It has a firm ...
"—a coarse whole grain bread as issued by the army. The economical car was produced from 1924 to 1928. Böhler built the core body around two side-by-side passenger seats. He dispensed with
running board A running board or footboard is a narrow step fitted under the side doors of a tram ( cable car, trolley, or streetcar in North America), car, or truck. It aids entry, especially into high vehicles, and is typical of vintage trams and cars, w ...
s and integrated the fenders in the body to save on weight." The inexpensive car became popular with consumers in Germany. In 1935,
Vittorio Jano Vittorio Jano ( hu, János Viktor; 22 April 1891 – 13 March 1965) was an Italian automobile designer of Hungarian descent from the 1920s through 1960s. Jano was born ''Viktor János'' in San Giorgio Canavese, in Piedmont, to Hungarian immi ...
, working with the brothers Gino and Oscar Jankovitz, created a one-off mid-engine prototype on an Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 chassis, which Jano had shipped to
Fiume Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...
in 1934. The brothers Jankovitz had been close friends with designer Paul Jaray, and the prototype, called the Alfa Romeo Aerodinamica Spider, featured ponton styling—an especially early and clear example of the bulbous, uninterrupted forms that would come to characterize the genre. In 1937,
Pinin Farina Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930. On 14 December 2015, the Indian mu ...
designed a flowing ponton-style body for the
Lancia Aprilia The Lancia Aprilia (1937–1949) is a family car manufactured by Lancia, one of the first designed using wind tunnel in collaboration with Battista Farina and Politecnico di Torino, achieving a record low drag coefficient of 0.47. The ''berlinetta ...
''berlinetta aerodynamica'' coupé, and also the open body on the 1940 Lancia Aprilia Cabriolet. The 1946
Cisitalia Cisitalia was an Italian sports and racing car brand. The name "Cisitalia" derives from "Compagnia Industriale Sportiva Italia", a business conglomerate founded in Turin in 1946 and controlled by the wealthy industrialist and sportsman Piero Dusio ...
202 coupé, which Farina designed from sketches by Cisitalia’s Giovanni Savonuzzi, was the car that "transformed postwar automobile design" according to New York's
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...
(MoMA). MoMA acquired an example for its permanent collection in 1951, noting that the car's "hood, body, fenders, and headlights are integral to the continuously flowing surface, rather than added on. Rounded, flowing forms, with unbroken horizontal lines between the fenders—the style had identified as "the so-called Ponton Side Design" became "the new fashion in Europe". Two of the first American cars with fresh post-war styling, that adopted the new envelope body style, were the 1946 Frazer /
Kaiser ''Kaiser'' is the German word for "emperor" (female Kaiserin). In general, the German title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (''König''). In English, the (untranslated) word ''Kaiser'' is mainly ap ...
, and the 1946 Crosley CC series. The
Howard "Dutch" Darrin Howard "Dutch" Darrin (1897–1982) was an American free-lance automotive stylist born in Cranford, New Jersey. Darrin had been a US pilot serving in France in the last years of World War I when he met fellow countryman Thomas Hibbard. They were ...
-designed Frazer won the Fashion Academy of New York Gold Medal for design achievement, and was said to have been the inspiration for the 1949
Borgward Hansa 1500 The Borgward Hansa 1500 is a medium-sized automobile manufactured by the Bremen based auto-manufacturer Carl F. W. Borgward GmbH from 1949 until 1954. It was first presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1949 and production commenced on 13 ...
, Germany's first sedan in the ponton style. In the Soviet Union, the
GAZ-M20 Pobeda The GAZ-M20 "Pobeda" (russian: ГАЗ-М20 Победа; ''победа'' means ''victory'') was a passenger car produced in the Soviet Union by GAZ from 1946 until 1958. It was also licensed to the Polish Passenger Automobile Factory and produce ...
came into production in 1946. This was about one month after the first 1946 Kaiser rolled off the production line. In Britain, the
Standard Vanguard The Standard Vanguard is a car which was produced by the Standard Motor Company in Coventry, England, from 1947 until 1963. The car was announced in July 1947, was completely new, with no resemblance to the previous models, and, designed in 19 ...
went on sale in 1947. The 1947
Studebaker Champion The Studebaker Champion is an automobile which was produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, from the beginning of the 1939 model year until 1958. It was a full-size car in its first three generations and a mid-size car in its ...
, designed by
Virgil Exner Virgil Max "Ex" Exner Sr. (September 24, 1909 – December 22, 1973) was an automobile designer for several American automobile companies, most notably Chrysler and Studebaker. Exner is widely known for the "Forward Look" he created for the ...
and Roy Cole featured an innovative rear end that "surprised Americans who smiled and asked :which way is it going?" However, the design is sometimes erroneously attributed to
Raymond Loewy Raymond Loewy ( , ; November 5, 1893 – July 14, 1986) was a French-born American industrial designer who achieved fame for the magnitude of his design efforts across a variety of industries. He was recognized for this by ''Time'' magazi ...
. In 1948, the Czechoslovakian
Tatra 600 The Tatra 600, named the Tatraplan, was a rear-engined large family car (D-segment in Europe) produced from 1948 to 1952 by the Czech manufacturer Tatra. The first prototype was finished in 1946. History After World War II, Tatra continued its ...
began production, a large, rear-engine design using an aeroplane inspired body style.
Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...
and
General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
followed the trend with their own designs in 1949.


Post-WWII examples

One of the earliest completely new styled cars that were introduced after World War II in the United States were the 1949 Nash models. ''
Popular Science ''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...
'' magazine described the new "pontoon" Nashes as "the most obvious departure from previous designs." They "carried the fender less pontoon-body, fast-back shape further than the competition." This Nash design became a "family appearance" for their automobiles that also included the
Nash-Healey The Nash-Healey is a three-seat luxury sports car or grand tourer produced from 1951 to 1954. It was marketed by the Nash-Kelvinator conglomerate in North America as a halo car to promote sales of its Nash Motors division. The car was the resu ...
. The 1952 redesign of the two-seat sports car took on an "even closer family appearance" to the redesigned Nash models by featuring "pontoon-type fenders fore and aft." The new styling also moved the headlights "from the pontoon fenders to the grille." The term is also used in reference to Mercedes-Benz models from 1953 to 1962. For example, a book about the marque refers to "the Ponton", the "Ponton saloon", "Ponton 220", "Ponton 220S and SE coupes and cabriolets", and "the Ponton models". A General Motors document refers to the 1953 Olympia Record as "the first Opel with a full-width, or ponton, body shell". The
Volkswagen Beetle The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...
carried articulated running boards and fenders, but the subsequent
Volkswagen Type 3 The Volkswagen Type 3 is a compact car manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen from 1961-1973. Introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show, ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA)'', the Type 3 was marketed as the Volkswagen 1500 and later ...
became known for its ponton styling; in the Netherlands the
Volkswagen Type 3 The Volkswagen Type 3 is a compact car manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen from 1961-1973. Introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show, ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA)'', the Type 3 was marketed as the Volkswagen 1500 and later ...
(1961–1974) 2-door notchback sedan was referred to as ''the Ponton.'' In a reference work on alternative-energy vehicles, electrical-engineering academics used the term as a generic for
saloon car A sedan or saloon (British English) is a passenger car in a three-box configuration with separate compartments for an engine, passengers, and cargo. The first recorded use of the word "sedan" in reference to an automobile body occurred in 19 ...
s with three-box design; also a 2007 German work on car design and technology mentions a "
Rover Rover may refer to: People * Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian * Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer * Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist Places * Rover, Arkansas, US * Rover, Missouri, US * ...
-Ponton" (ponton-style Rover); and a French book on art and design also used the term in an automotive context in 1996.


Ponton fenders

Pontoon fenders are a type of automobile fender, or "wings" as they are more usually called in the United Kingdom. Originally the term referred to a design prevalent in the United States in the 1930s where front fenders encased a wheel and terminated in a teardrop point, remaining distinct from the running boards or the body of the car. Examples include the
Cord 810/812 The Cord 810, and later Cord 812, was a luxury automobile produced by the Cord Automobile division of the Auburn Automobile Company in 1936 and 1937. It was the first American-designed and built front wheel drive car with independent front suspen ...
, the
Auburn Speedster The Auburn Speedster was an American car, manufactured by the Auburn Automobile Company of Auburn, Indiana and manufactured in Union City, Indiana. A total of 887 cars were manufactured between 1928 and 1936, across 3 series (1928-1930 with "ei ...
and several designs by
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
Carrossiers, notably
Figoni et Falaschi Figoni et Falaschi is a French luxury brand and coachbuilder firm which was active from 1935 through to the 1950s. The designs were created by Giuseppe Figoni, while his partner Ovidio Falaschi ran the business. Early history: Figoni Giuseppe ...
. In 1938, The
Buick Y-Job The Buick Y-Job, produced by Buick in 1938, was the auto industry's first concept car (a model intended to show new technology or designs but not be mass-produced for sale to consumers). Designed by Harley J. Earl, the car had power-operated hid ...
, the auto industry's first
concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...
was "meant to be a vision of the future of the automobile and test the reaction of customers to the new design with streamline and ponton elements", displaying a further degree of integration of the pontoon fenders with the main body of the car. Subsequently, the term pontoon fender took on another more prominent definition, derived from the wartime practice in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
of adding full-length tread armor along each side of a tank, attached primarily on the top edge—and resembling pontoons. As this roughly coincided with the automobile styling trend where distinct running boards and articulated fenders became less common — with cars carrying integrated front fenders and full-width, full-length bodywork — the fenders took on the "pontoon fender" nickname. The post-war trend of the markedly round, slab-sided designs became itself known as ponton styling—with many postwar
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
models informally nicknamed the " Ponton". The British assumed the latter definition, using it in such works as the Beaulieu National Motor Museum Encyclopaedia of the Automobile.


Gallery

File:Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Sport Cabriolet 1947 white r TCE.jpg, Farina-designed 1947 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 SC File:2007-09-08 2655 Borgward Hansa 1800, Bauzeit 1952-1954 (ret).jpg, 1952 Borgward Hansa 1800 File:195X Ford Consul CRP961.jpg, 1950 Ford (GB) Consul File:1950 Ford 72B Custom De Luxe Club Coupe PDB266.jpg, 1950 Ford (USA) Club Coupe File:ГАЗ М20 Победа.jpg, Russian GAZ-M-20 from 1946 File:Hudson Hornet Club Coupe 1951.jpg, 1951
Hudson Hornet The Hudson Hornet is a full-sized automobile that was manufactured by Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan from 1951 until 1954, when Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson merged to form American Motors Corporation (AMC). Hudson automobiles ...
coupe File:Lancia Aurelia GT 2500 B20 blue vr.jpg, 1950–1958 Lancia Aurelia B20 File:1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan convertible.JPG, 1949
Lincoln Cosmopolitian The Lincoln Cosmopolitan is a full-size luxury car that was sold by Lincoln from the 1949 through the 1954 model year. All Lincolns were manufactured at Lincoln Assembly, Dearborn, Michigan, while some were sent in "knock-down kits" to regional f ...
File:Mercury 8 Convertible 130PS 1950 2.jpg, The 1949–51
Mercury Eight The Mercury Eight is an automobile that was marketed by the Mercury division of Ford between 1939 and 1951. The debut model line of the Mercury division, Ford slotted the full-size Mercury Eight between the Ford Deluxe (later Custom) model line ...
File:MHV Renault Dauphine 01.jpg, 1956–1967
Renault Dauphine The Renault Dauphine () is a rear-engine design, rear-engined economy car manufactured by Renault in a single body style – a Three-box styling, three-box, 4-door sedan (car), sedan – as the successor to the Renault 4CV; more than two ...
File:Rover 75 2-Door Saloon 1952.jpg, 1952
Rover 75 The Rover 75 is an executive car manufactured initially by the Rover Group and later by MG Rover, under the Rover marque and available over a single generation with front-wheel drive in either saloon/sedan or station wagon/estate configuratio ...
File:1951 Standard Vanguard.JPG, 1951
Standard Vanguard The Standard Vanguard is a car which was produced by the Standard Motor Company in Coventry, England, from 1947 until 1963. The car was announced in July 1947, was completely new, with no resemblance to the previous models, and, designed in 19 ...
File:Studebaker-champion-convertible-1950.jpg, 1950
Studebaker Champion The Studebaker Champion is an automobile which was produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, from the beginning of the 1939 model year until 1958. It was a full-size car in its first three generations and a mid-size car in its ...
File:Subaru 1500.jpg,
Subaru 1500 The Subaru 1500 is the first car built by Fuji Heavy Industries, with the development code-name of P1. The prototype used a monocoque body structure and adopting the " ponton" style appearance, with an independent front wishbone suspension and a ...
File:Volkswagen Type 3.jpg, 1961–1974
Volkswagen Type 3 The Volkswagen Type 3 is a compact car manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen from 1961-1973. Introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show, ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA)'', the Type 3 was marketed as the Volkswagen 1500 and later ...
, sometimes called "ponton" in the Netherlands File:Volvo Amazon.jpg, 1956–1970
Volvo Amazon The Volvo Amazon was a mid-sized car manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars from 1956 to 1970 and introduced in the United States as the ''122S'' at the 1959 New York International Auto Show. The Amazon shared the wheelbase, tall posture and h ...


See also

*
Glossary of automotive design A glossary of terms relating to automotive design. Some terms may be found at car classification. 0–9 ; One-box form: A categorization based on overall form design using rough rectangle volumes. In the case of the one-box, also called a mon ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponton (Automobile) Automotive design Automotive body parts Automotive industry Automotive styling features