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LA Musuem to celebrate a century of the Benz

Mercedes-Benz gets 100-year anniversary exhibit at LA's Peterson Automotive Museum

By Mark D McKee May 11, 2026 8:43 AM

Car, Coupe, Sports Car — Mercedes-Benz

You have all heard of Henry Ford, right? The Model-T was a big deal here in America, as it blew up in the early 1910s. And, Ford is seen as the origin of cars in America. Of course, any good gearhead or car enthusiast knows that Henry Ford didn’t invent the car itself, despite what many Americans believe. He revolutionized the mass production of a product that had been around for decades. Carl Benz and his eventual partner, Gottlieb Daimler, came up with individual ideas in 1886 and brought them together to create the first of what we know today as the automobile. Mercedes-Benz has been going strong since the merger in 1926 as a stalwart of the mobility industry. This year, being its centennial, it’s getting a 100-year-anniversary exhibit at the Peterson Automotive Museum in LA.

A wonderful opportunity to experience the evolution of Mercedes-Benz and see the vehicles that have built the company’s legacy – Terry L. Karges, executive director of the Petersen Automotive Museum

A century of Mercedes-Benz excellence on display

Since its inception, Mercedes-Benz has been one of the indicators of status, success, and luxury. There are only a few manufacturers who have been able to land a nickname on the street that people use to describe their notoriety. “I drive a Rolls,” “I own a Beamer,” or in this case, “Let me pull around the Benz.” The exhibition is a list of all the reasons they have this name in the industry, on the street, and in our hearts as one of the mainstays in our collective minds of automobile history.

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“For over a century, Mercedes-Benz vehicles have set the industry benchmarks for luxury and performance,” said Terry L. Karges, executive director of the Petersen Automotive Museum. “We witness that every day on the streets of Los Angeles. For our guests, this is a wonderful opportunity to experience the evolution of Mercedes-Benz and see the vehicles that have built the company’s legacy, from the very first vehicle built by Carl Benz through the supercars of the 20th century.”

Some of the models on display:

1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen, a replica of the first vehicle created byCarl Benz
1902 Mercedes Simplex 28 HP Tourer
1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Autobahnkurier
1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Prototype
1971 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Landaulet
1991 Mercedes-Benz C112
2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR Roadster

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