Vatican Marks a Century of Popemobiles With New Exhibition
An exhibition at the Vatican Museums showcases eight historic Mercedes-Benz vehicles that have served pontiffs since 1930.
The Vatican is celebrating a century of the popemobile with a new exhibition titled “A Century of the Popemobile,” which opened this week at the Vatican Museums. The display features eight historic Mercedes-Benz vehicles that have been used by popes since 1930.
Pope Leo XIV, in remarks ahead of the exhibition's launch, described the popemobile's evolution from a mere mode of transportation to an "instrument of encounter," facilitating closer connections between the pontiff and the faithful during pastoral visits and public events. He noted that the vehicles have aided the church's mission to spread its message.
The exhibition, housed in a glass pavilion in the Vatican Museums’ Giardino Quadrato, will run until January. It focuses on Mercedes-Benz vehicles, as the German manufacturer has supplied most popemobiles over the past century.
"Over 100 years, each pope has received a popemobile from Mercedes-Benz and used it as a vehicle of dialogue, as a vehicle of sharing and blessing and seeing the people and traveling," Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums, told Religion News Service.
The oldest vehicle on display is the first official popemobile, a black Nürburg 460 limousine gifted to Pope Pius XI in 1930 by Mercedes-Benz. "It was specifically built, designed, and prepared for papal use," Sandro Barbagallo, curator of the Historical Collections Department at the Vatican Museums, told CNN. "From this point, it is clear how all the cars were then made, precisely to allow the pope to be seen, but to be seen and to see in total safety and, I would even say, comfort."
Prior to the use of automobiles, popes traveled via horse-drawn carriages or the gestatorial chair, a ceremonial throne carried by attendants. The term "popemobile" was popularized by the press during Pope Paul VI's 1965 visit to New York, where he rode in a custom Lincoln Continental.
Other notable vehicles include Pope John XXIII's 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300 d Landaulet, which featured removable rear windows, and Pope Paul VI's 1965 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Landaulet with its raised roof and folding top. The exhibition also includes the Mercedes-Benz 230 G built for Pope John Paul II's 1980 visit to Germany, notable for its transparent Plexiglas dome that ensured both protection and visibility.
More recently, the first electric popemobile, presented to Pope Francis in 2024, is also featured. Pope Leo XIV commented on this development, encouraging the continuation of technological innovation in service of human dignity and the common good.