Mercedes-Benz Classic Celebrates 140 Years at Pebble Beach with Historic Icons and Modern AMG

Mercedes-Benz Classic showcased vehicles from 140 years of innovation at Monterey Car Week, held August 7–16, 2026, in California. The presentation ranged from an authentic replica of the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen to modern high-performance models. Three vehicles stood out: the 1905 'American Mercedes' and the 1938 Mercedes-Benz 320 Stromlinienlimousine and 540 K Stromlinienwagen. Mercedes-Benz has won a record ten 'Best of Show' awards at Pebble Beach, more than any other brand.

The 'American Mercedes' was produced by the Daimler Manufacturing Company in Long Island City, New York, under license, starting in 1905. It was the first vehicle built in the United States in Mercedes-Benz brand history and matched the top-of-the-line Mercedes 45 PS. At the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance it appeared in the 'Early American Speedsters (Pre-World War I)' category outside competition, prepared by the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Long Beach, California. The car also illustrates the brand's early internationalization, as Mercedes-badged cars were built in the U.S. soon after the Mercedes name was introduced in 1901.

The 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Stromlinienwagen led the Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance. This aerodynamic one-off, based on the 540 K (W 29), was originally a high-speed test vehicle for tire maker Dunlop on the autobahn, with a wind-tunnel-developed light-alloy body, covered underbody, and a consistently streamlined shape. It came from the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, where it is displayed in 'World-Class: 100 Years of Mercedes-Benz'. At 'Legends of the Autobahn', the 1938 Mercedes-Benz 320 Stromlinienlimousine (W 142), a body variant then called 'Stromlinien-Innenlenker', met the new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe, showing how the brand's focus on aerodynamics and performance continues.

The Mercedes-Benz Star of Excellence Award went to a privately owned 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 Sc Pinin Farina Coupé. Designed by the Italian design house Pinin Farina, it was first presented at the 1956 Turin Motor Show. The car combines the technology of the 300 Sc (W 188) with a one-off body, and symbolizes the close cooperation between automakers and design studios in the 1950s.

Under the motto 'Future Classics: Mercedes-Benz creates tomorrow's classics today', Mercedes-Benz USA presented current models from Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach, and the G-Class as potential future classics. The display was staged like an auction house and included vehicles with MANUFAKTUR personalization; the company recently opened the first US 'MANUFAKTUR Made to Measure Hub' at the Mercedes-Benz Studio Los Angeles. Separately, Mercedes-Benz is marking 140 years of innovation, which the company calls the largest model offensive in its history, by sending three new S-Class limousines to 140 destinations across six continents, with the journey lasting until October and open to customers, fans, and colleagues.