World Class: 100 Years of Mercedes-Benz at the Petersen Automotive Museum

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The Petersen Automotive Museum is one of the premier car museums in the country, and its largest exhibits in the Mullin Gallery on the ground floor are typically the largest and most carefully curated in the whole building. The latest exhibit to occupy that vaunted space is World Class: 100 Years of Mercedes-Benz. The impressive display charts the history of Daimler and Benz from before their merger 100 years ago, which created one of the world’s most well-known and well-regarded automotive brands.

1966 Mercedes-Benz 250 SE CoupeBrandan Gillogly

1981 Mercedes-Benz 240DBrandan Gillogly

Visitors to the Petersen can catch a glimpse of the vaunted Mercedes-Benz reliability before they even set foot in the exhibit. Before anyone even gets to the lobby, which is also filled with an array of Mercedes-Benz models, sit a pair of long-lived Benzes in the parking structure, a gasoline coupe and a diesel sedan, each proudly displaying odometer readings that exceed 1.3 million miles.

1936 Mercedes-Benz 500 K Special RoadsterBrandan Gillogly

1938 Mercedes-Benz 540 K AutobahnkurierBrandan Gillogly

1938 Mercedes-Benz W 154Brandan Gillogly

1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLBrandan Gillogly

1989 Mercedes-Sauber C-9Brandan Gillogly

1990 Mercedes-Benz 190 E and SLK GTR RoadsterBrandan Gillogly

Of course, a gathering celebrating the history of Mercedes-Benz must include some elegant roadsters, sleek coupes, and race-bred machines meant for both the track and the street. The Petersen delivers on all fronts.

1959 Mercedes-Benz O 319Brandan Gillogly

1937 Mercedes-Benz 170 HBrandan Gillogly

The variety on display in World Class: 100 Years of Mercedes-Benz goes beyond the luxury and performance that North American consumers have come to associate with the three-pointed star. There’s a beautiful little bus, a G-Class 4×4, and one of our favorites of the star-studded gathering, a 1937 Mercedes-Benz 170 H, an affordable car nicknamed the “Benz Beetle.”

If you haven’t been to the Petersen Automotive Museum in a while, or you’re thinking about going for the first time, this exhibit is a good excuse as any to learn something and take in the engineering and styling of some of the most impressive machines Stuttgart has ever produced. The exhibit is currently open and should occupy the Mullin Gallery well into 2027. You can find tickets here.

1886 Benz Patent-MotorwagenBrandan Gillogly