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The pontoon shape - design epoch and fashionable contemporary phenomenon

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Created on December 7, 2012

Reading time 4min

Written by:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Darin Schnabel - Courtesy RM Auctions 2011

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RM Auction

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Archiv/Werk

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Darin Schnabel - Courtesy RM Auctions

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Bruno von Rotz

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Archiv

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Daniel Reinhard

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Darin Schnabel - Courtesy RM Auctions 2011

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RM Auction

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Archiv/Werk

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Darin Schnabel - Courtesy RM Auctions

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Bruno von Rotz

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Archiv

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Ford Taunus 12M (1959) - klassische Ponton-Karosserie, Weltkugel auf dem Bug

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Bugatti Type 32 "Tank" (1923) - vermutlich das erste Auto mit Pontonform

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Hanomag 2/10 PS “Kommissbrot” (1926) - dieses frühe Fahrzeug mit Ponton-Karosserie wurde als Lot 118 in der RM Versteigerung der Aalholm Collection im Jahr 2012 verkauft

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Hanomag 2/10 PS “Kommissbrot” (1926) - dieses frühe Fahrzeug mit Ponton-Karosserie wurde als Lot 118 in der RM Versteigerung der Aalholm Collection im Jahr 2012 verkauft

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Mercedes-Benz 220SE Cabriolet (1960) - dieses Ponton-Cabriolet wurde an der RM Auction Arizona im Januar 2011 als Lot 278 angeboten

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Kaiser-Darrin Roadster (1954) - typische Ponton-Formgebung - versteigert an der RM Auction Arizona 2011

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Kaiser-Darrin Roadster (1954) - klassische Pontonform - versteigert an der RM Auction Arizona 2011

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Kaiser Manhattan (1952)

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Morris Oxford Series II (1955) - der Series II hatte eine pontonförmige Karosserie für sechs Passagiere und wurde 1954 bis 1956 gebaut

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Fiat 1400 (1950) - Werbung aus dem Jahre 1950 -

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Fiat 1400 Cabriolet - elegantes Cabriolet am Genfer Autosalon 1951

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Opel Rekord am Treffen für Freunde nostalgischer Autos 2011 in Neuheim - mit Ponton-Karosserie

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Opel Rekord P 4D (1960) - ausgestellt am Genfer Automobilsalon 1960

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Ford Taunus 12 M (1959) - Internationale Automobilausstellung (IAA) in Frankfurt 1959 - Seitenansicht

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Ford Taunus (1952) - der neue Taunus mit breiter Pontonform und grosser Fensterfläche

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DeSoto de Luxe - der siebensitzige De Soto de Luxe mit Synchromesh-Getriebe als Taxameter - Auto Salon Genf 1951

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Ford Vedette - Seriencabriolet von Ford als Zweisitzer mit versenkbarem Verdeck - Genfer Autosalon 1951

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Wartburg Cabriolet (1959) - Pontonform und Offenheit für vier Personen

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Summary

The pontoon shape was one of the predominant design approaches in the 1950s. However, it had emerged much earlier, as the first examples include the Bugatti 32 ("Tank") and the Hanomag 2/10 PS ("Komissbrot"). This report, which is illustrated with a good dozen pontoon representatives, documents what the press and design critics thought of the new fad in 1950.

Estimated reading time: 4min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The pontoon shape was one of the predominant design approaches in the 1950s. However, it had emerged much earlier, as the first examples include the Bugatti 32 ("Tank") and the Hanomag 2/10 PS ("Komissbrot"). What the press and design critics thought of the new fad in 1950 is described below. In its 1950 catalog, Automobil Revue dealt with the "beautiful line" and placed the "pontoon shape" very nicely in the context of design development: Just as the female ideal of beauty changes and fashion establishes new e laws from time to time in capricious leaps, so strict technology often has little to look for in the lines of cars and cedes its regiment to the whim of a draughtsman or the inspiration of a coachbuilder .

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