The Vatican is showing eight Mercedes-Benz vehicles built for popes over nine decades in an exhibition titled "Mercedes-Benz: A Century of Popemobiles," which opened in a glass pavilion near the Vatican's Pinacoteca, or Picture Gallery. It runs until January 31, 2027.
The cars trace the shift from conventional papal limousines to the purpose-built, glass-enclosed Popemobiles most people picture today, a relationship between the automaker and the Holy See that dates to 1930.
From a silk-brocade limousine to a transparent dome
The earliest vehicle on display is the Nürburg 460 (W 08) Pullman limousine from 1930, the car that began the relationship between Mercedes-Benz and the Vatican. It was powered by a 4.6-liter inline-eight and modified extensively inside for Pope Pius XI, with an individual seat upholstered in fine silk brocade, selected wood and metal finishes, and a decorated headliner.
The 1960 300 d Landaulet (W 189) built for Pope John XXIII had a longer wheelbase than the standard car and rear side windows that could be removed entirely for public appearances. Opening the rear doors automatically deployed entry steps, and the Pope's central seat was electrically adjustable, with climate and radio controls reachable from the rear compartment.
Pope Paul VI received a 600 Pullman Landaulet (W 100) in autumn 1965, modified with wider rear doors, a raised roof over the rear compartment, a specially designed adjustable papal seat, a cooling system and an intercom to the driver. The 300 SEL Pullman (W 109) that followed in 1967 had wheelbases stretched by 25.6 inches and larger rear doors, though these six-seat limousines were mainly used for senior Vatican guests rather than the Pope.
The dome arrives, and armour follows
The 230 G built for Pope John Paul II's 1980 visit to Germany introduced the concept that defined the Popemobile: a tall transparent dome over the rear compartment to shield the Pope from the weather while keeping him visible. Based on the long-wheelbase G-Class, it wore pearl-white paint, gold-coloured trim and a white interior, with climate control and rear lighting adapted to its role.
After the 1981 assassination attempt on the Pope, Mercedes-Benz built a second, near-identical vehicle on the 230 GE with armoured protection. That decision is the clearest illustration of what the Popemobile became: a vehicle designed around visibility for the crowd and protection for the passenger at the same time.
A more traditional S 500 Long Landaulet (Series 140) followed in 1997, with an electrohydraulic convertible roof and a spacious individual rear seat. In 2002 the G-Class formula moved to the M-Class with the ML 430, whose transparent dome was more smoothly integrated into the bodywork and surrounded by large windows; John Paul II first used it at World Youth Day in Toronto that year. The final car listed is the ML 500 (W 166) delivered in December 2012 for Pope Benedict XVI, which enlarged the glass enclosure to make entry and exit easier and give onlookers a better view, with a revised rear lighting concept.
What the exhibition does and does not say
The exhibition is housed in a glass pavilion near the Pinacoteca and presents the eight vehicles as a sequence showing how papal transport evolved. The sources do not give ticket prices or opening hours for the display, so visitors should check before planning a trip.
Nor do the sources say who owns the cars on show, whether the Vatican, Mercedes-Benz or a mix of both, so that detail has not been announced. What is clear is the scale of the partnership behind them: Mercedes-Benz has supplied the Holy See with both official and utility vehicles since 1930.
