Pope Leo XIV thanks Mercedes-Benz as Vatican opens eight-car papamobile exhibition

A century of papal transport

Mercedes-Benz has supplied popes since 1930, when Pope Pius XI received a Nürburg 460, which sources describe as the first car regularly used by a pontiff. The Vatican Museums' exhibition presents eight Mercedes-Benz models in a glass pavilion in the Giardino Quadrato, and it opens to the public on Thursday, 29 October.

The display begins with the 1930 Nürburg 460, which sources describe as having a silk-brocade seat and fittings in precious wood and metal. Sandro Barbagallo, curator of the historic collections of the Vatican Museums, said the car was built and prepared specifically for papal use. Later models include the 300 d Landaulet of 1960, given to Pope John XXIII, whose removable rear side windows let him turn toward people at the roadside.

Changing vehicles for changing papal needs

The exhibition traces how the vehicles adapted to each pontificate. Sources list the 230 G of 1980, developed for the German visit of Pope John Paul II with a tall transparent dome, followed by the S 500 long-wheelbase Landaulet of 1997 and two SUVs, the ML 430 'Papamobile' of 2002 and the ML 500 'Papamobile' of 2012. Sources also note an 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen and a new Mercedes-Benz S-Class shown alongside the papal cars.

The pope's message to the carmaker

At the audience, Leo XIV said the papamobile had moved from being a means of transport to an instrument of encounter, allowing the pontiff to approach the faithful during pastoral visits and public celebrations.

“I encourage you to keep placing technological innovation at the service of human dignity, the care of creation and the common good.”

The pope also pointed to the first fully electric papamobile, given to Pope Francis for the Holy Year 2025 according to RP Online. Sources say he stressed sustainability as a concern of the Church.

Industry voices

Marc Langenbrinck, president of Mercedes-Benz Italia, described the partnership as an honour and a privilege to offer the pontiff this service for almost a century. Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums, said the car gives the pope a way to be seen, greet, bless and build an immediate bond with people along his path. ANSA director Luigi Contu pointed to the agency's photographic archive, which includes historic pictures of popes and their cars in the exhibition catalogue.