Rare Car Archive

Makes › Mercedes-Benz Germany › 600 (W 100) · Royal, state & papal

Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman-Landaulet of Pope Paul VI

Historically documented
Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman-Landaulet of Pope Paul VI with registration SCV 1, Mercedes-Benz Museum (photographed 5 June 2005)
Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman-Landaulet of Pope Paul VI with registration SCV 1, Mercedes-Benz Museum (photographed 5 June 2005)
Photo: Thomas Vogt · CC BY 2.0

Identity

Chassis numberNot publicly documented
ModelMercedes-Benz 600 (W 100)
Production date1965
Delivery date1965-09
Original ownerPope Paul VI
Current locationMercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart (shown in a Vatican exhibition until 31 January 2027)
AuthenticationHistorically documented
2,5,4
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It is on display at Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart, Germany. Shown in a Vatican exhibition until 31 January 2027.

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Why this car matters

A four-door Pullman-Landaulet built specially for Pope Paul VI and presented to him in autumn 1965. According to the Vatican Museums it long remained the sole papal automobile. It carried the Vatican registration SCV 1 and was used by three popes over two decades.

How rare is it?

Model rarityNot yet assessed
Specification rarityNot yet assessed
Colour rarityNot yet assessed
Individual rarityNot yet assessed
Historical rarityHistorically Unique Built specially for Pope Paul VI. No source checked states whether it was the only papal 600.
Survival rarityNot yet assessed

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

History & provenance

Ownership, competition, restoration and sales, in date order.

  1. 1965
    Factory Built by the test department and production at Sindelfingen on the long-wheelbase (3,900 mm) 600. Rear doors widened by 256 mm, reaching up to the partition; roof raised by 70 mm; flat floor with covered driveshaft tunnel; a single individually adjustable rear seat for the Pope with rear-facing fold-down seats; air conditioning and an intercom to the driver.1,2,3,4
  2. 1965-09
    Delivery Presented as a gift to Pope Paul VI at Castel Gandolfo by a Daimler-Benz delegation led by Hermann Josef Abs (chairman of the supervisory board), with Walter Hitzinger, Fritz Nallinger, Arnold Wychodil and Karl Wilfert. Registered SCV 1 (Vatican City State). A period photo caption dates the handover to 10 September 1965.2,5,1
  3. 1965
    Ownership In Vatican service for about two decades, used by three popes.6
  4. 1986
    Exhibition On display in the Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart-Untertürkheim, since 1986.7,8
  5. 2026-10-28
    Exhibition Shown in the exhibition “Mercedes-Benz: A Century of Popemobiles” in a glass pavilion near the Vatican Pinacoteca, until 31 January 2027.9,10

Known modifications

None documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Technical specifications

Values specific to this car. The general specification is on the model page.

No car-specific values recorded – see the model page for the 600 (W 100) specification. Have a source? Contribute it.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

  1. 1
    Rückblick: Die Mercedes-Benz Landaulets der Nachkriegszeit Level C Markus Jordan · mbpassion.de · 2018-05-25
    • Built by test department and production in Sindelfingen; doors +25.6 cm, roof +7 cm
    • Handover delegation at Castel Gandolfo
    Limitations: Text credited to Daimler AG; official Mercedes-Benz pages could not be fetched. Accessed 2026-11-11
  2. 2
    Vor 60 Jahren: Ein Mercedes 600 für den Papst Level C Roland Hildebrandt · Motor1.com Deutschland · 2025-08-11
    • Rear doors widened by 256 mm; roof raised by 70 mm
    • September 1965 handover; number plate SCV 1
    • Pullman-Landaulet with plate SCV 1, built for Pope Paul VI
    Accessed 2026-11-11
  3. 3
    Mercedes popemobiles: a century exhibit Level C Roland Hildebrandt · Motor1.com · 2026-11
    • Individually adjustable seat, cooling system, intercom
    Accessed 2026-11-11
  4. 4
    Mercedes-Benz landaulets (press release, Stuttgart, 5 November 2007 – reposted) Level C Mercedes-Benz press release, via Mercedes-Benz-Blog
    • “Special equipment included air conditioning, an intercom”; rear doors 25.6 cm wider
    • 59 landaulets built on the 600; papal car shown with plate SCV 1
    Limitations: Blog repost of an official release; original not reachable. Accessed 2026-11-11
  5. 5
    Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL limousine – Carriage Pavilion Level A Musei Vaticani
    • “In autumn 1965 Pope Paul VI received as a gift in Castel Gandolfo”
    • 1965 gift to Pope Paul VI at Castel Gandolfo
    • “long remained the sole papal automobile”
    Limitations: Page about a different car; mentions the 1965 gift of a car to Pope Paul VI at Castel Gandolfo. Accessed 2026-11-11
  6. 6
    A 600 worthy of a Pope Level C PostWarClassic.nl · 2011-02-23
    • “Over two decades, the car was used by three popes.”
    Accessed 2026-11-11
  7. 7
    Der Mercedes-Benz Typ 600 und Pullman von 1963 bis 1981 Level C Markus Jordan · mbpassion.de · 2024-11-03
    • “Seit 1986 im Mercedes-Benz Museum ausgestellt”
    Accessed 2026-11-11
  8. 8
    The Mighty Mercedes-Benz 600 Series Level C Heacock Classic
    • Official car of the Vatican until 1986, when it was donated
    Accessed 2026-11-11
  9. 9
    Ausstellung im Vatikan: Mercedes-Benz zeigt seine Papamobile Level C Mercedes-Fans · 2026-10-29
    • Until 31 January 2027 in a glass pavilion near the Pinacoteca
    Accessed 2026-11-11
  10. 10
    Vatican Museums exhibit marks a century of the Popemobile Level B India Iammancini · Vatican News · 2026-10-29
    • Exhibition opening 28 October 2026
    Accessed 2026-11-11