Mercedes-Benz Classic Celebrates Milestones and Upcoming Shows

Mercedes-Benz Classic highlights cruise control’s 50th anniversary, the 600 Landaulet for Pope Paul VI, and upcoming events at Pebble Beach and ICONS Mallorca.

Mercedes-Benz Classic is preparing for a vibrant end to the summer: the Pebble Beach week will conclude with the Concours d’Elegance on Sunday, August 17, 2025, while the ICONS Mallorca rally-festival is scheduled by the organisers for September 17–21, 2025.

Exactly fifty years ago, in September 1975, Mercedes-Benz introduced cruise control. It was offered as an option (in combination with automatic transmission) for the S-Class W116, as well as the SL and SLC of the 107 series, and came as standard on the flagship 450 SEL 6.9.

Later, the concept of automatically maintaining speed and distance evolved into the radar-based DISTRONIC system, first introduced in 1998 on the W220 S-Class, which became the foundation for today’s driver assistance technologies.

Sixty years ago, on September 9, 1965, Pope Paul VI received a unique Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Landaulet. It featured an individual seat for the pontiff, a raised roof, extended rear doors, and a flat rear floor. In 1980, for Pope John Paul II’s visit to Germany, the “Popemobile” was created based on the G-Class 230 G with a transparent dome — today displayed in the Museum’s “Gallery of Celebrities.”

Looking back 125 years, on September 20, 1900, Wilhelm Maybach filed a patent application for the honeycomb radiator (DRP 122 766, granted August 8, 1901) — a compact and efficient design that enabled the creation of the high-performance Mercedes 35 PS.

Finally, thirty years ago, on November 10, 1995, the first designo customisation consulting centre opened at the Sindelfingen plant’s customer centre. Today, this tradition is carried forward by the MANUFAKTUR programme, offering expanded personalisation options.