Mercedes-Benz opens expanded Classic Center in Fellbach, the world's largest classic-car restoration site
Mercedes-Benz has reopened its Classic Center in Fellbach after a major rebuild and expansion, now around 18,000 square metres and the world's largest restoration and repair operation for classic Mercedes-Benz cars.
- around 18,000 square metres
- around 70
- more than 1,100
- around 160,000
What Happened
Mercedes-Benz opened the comprehensively rebuilt and expanded Classic Center in Fellbach last weekend. The site now covers around 18,000 square metres and offers the full range of services for classic vehicles with the star across all eras and model series, from service and repair to factory restorations, vehicle trading, manufacturer expertise and Mercedes-Benz Classic original parts. A further property in the immediate vicinity was added to the established main site, which allowed space and processes to be reorganised and individual areas to be given more room.
18,000square metres
The expanded Fellbach site includes around 10,000 square metres of workshop space staffed by roughly 70 specialists.
- Complete factory restorations can now be carried out in-house
- Six trades cover all work on classic Mercedes-Benz automobiles
- A paint booth and an engine test bench are among the new additions
- Specialised machines for metalworking and for machining engine components supplement the equipment
- Personnel capacity was expanded, including for vehicle trading and parts supply
- Young specialists work alongside experienced experts in mentoring programmes after completing training in a modern automotive profession
“The comprehensive expansion of the Classic Center is a milestone for Mercedes-Benz Heritage. The service offering for the long-term preservation of classic automobiles with the star makes clear what our brand stands for: the highest quality, care for our history and a view to the future. Entirely in keeping with our guiding principle 'Heritage Creates Future'.”
Beyond the technical equipment, access to the brand's historical knowledge is a particular strength of the Classic Center. The workshop regularly draws on original technical documents, design data and historical background material from the Mercedes-Benz Group Archive, one of the largest private corporate archives, to support the most authentic possible execution of work on historic vehicles. The collaboration is especially close on Mercedes-Benz manufacturer expertise: a joint service of the Classic Center and the archive, whose result is a detailed document, recognised among collectors and in the trade, that assesses a classic's originality and condition on the basis of detailed research on the vehicle and in the archive.
- Mercedes-Benz Heritage has cared for the brand's historic vehicle collection for decades, today with more than 1,100 vehicles
- Original archive documents record each vehicle's biography, from historic Grand Prix racing cars to the so-called Bandabläufer, the last cars built of a series
- The expanded capacity is now more available to private customers, whether owners of older classics or drivers of younger modern models with high everyday presence such as the SLK (R 170), the first CLS (C 219) or the R-Class (model series 251)
- Mercedes-Benz Classic is responsible for a range of around 160,000 Mercedes-Benz Classic original parts produced to manufacturer specifications
- Through the worldwide sales network, available parts are usually deliverable within 24 hours
Carl Benz files the patent for the first automobile and Gottlieb Daimler builds the motorised carriage shortly afterwards
Mercedes-Benz Heritage GmbH is formed, bundling all of the brand's historic activities from the museum and Classic Center to the vehicle collection, original parts, vehicle trading, brand clubs, events and the worldwide Classic Partner network
The comprehensively rebuilt and expanded Classic Center opens in Fellbach, completing the restructuring of the classic business
Previously from Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz has been marking 140 years of the automobile through its heritage activities: the Mercedes-Benz Museum is staging a free 'The 140 Festival' on 18 October 2026, an experience day with classics and engine starts that also closes the new S-Class world tour.
- Mercedes-Benz Museum Hosts Free 'The 140 Festival' on 18 October to Close the New S-Class World Tour
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Mercedes-Benz's official releases.
Why this matters
The site is where Mercedes-Benz keeps a historic collection of more than 1,100 vehicles running and supplies around 160,000 original parts worldwide, usually within 24 hours. Its expansion means private owners of older classics and of younger modern models such as the SLK, first CLS and R-Class get more capacity and expertise. It also shows how a carmaker can turn its own history into a service business.
Terms in This Story
- Concours d'Elegance
- A classic-car elegance competition in which vehicles are judged on condition, authenticity and presentation.
- Youngtimer
- A relatively young classic car, generally not old enough to be treated as a full classic but already of interest to enthusiasts and collectors.
- Factory restoration
- A full restoration carried out by the manufacturer itself rather than by an independent workshop.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.