Vatican Showcases Papal Cars as Pope Urges Tech With Purpose

WHO:

ABC News - Pope Leo XIV met Mercedes-Benz executives and thanked them for their partnership with the Holy See; the article describes him as Chicago-born and a car lover.

Vatican News - Pope Leo XIV thanked Mercedes-Benz executives and generations of the company’s designers, engineers, and workers for their longstanding collaboration with the Holy See.

ABC News - Pope Pius XI received the oldest vehicle in the exhibition; Pope John XXIII received the 300 d Landaulet; St. John Paul II used the 230 G during a visit to Germany; Pope Francis received an electric popemobile.

ABC News - Sandro Barbagallo, curator of the Vatican Museums’ Historical Collections Department, described the vehicles’ design and purpose.

WHAT:

ABC News - The Vatican Museums unveiled a preview of “A Century of the Popemobile,” an exhibition featuring eight Mercedes-Benz vehicles used by popes since 1930. The exhibition officially opens to the public on Thursday.

Vatican News - The exhibition commemorates one hundred years since the first Mercedes-Benz automobile was delivered to Pope Pius XI.

ABC News - Leo said the popemobile had “evolved from a means of transportation into an instrument of encounter,” helping popes draw closer to the faithful during pastoral visits and public celebrations.

Vatican News - Leo said automotive innovation should serve “human dignity, care for creation and the common good.”

ABC News - The Mercedes-Benz Nürburg 460 had a silk-brocade-upholstered armchair and fine wood and metal finishes.

ABC News - The 300 d Landaulet had removable rear side windows that allowed Pope John XXIII to reach out to people.

ABC News - Mercedes-Benz developed the 230 G for St. John Paul II’s Germany visit; its tall, transparent rear dome provided protection and a clear view for crowds.

ABC News - Later popemobile designs reflected the need to engage with the faithful and, more recently, to bless babies brought to the pope.

Vatican News - Mercedes-Benz presented Pope Francis with the first fully electric popemobile ahead of the 2025 Jubilee of Hope.

WHERE:

ABC News - The exhibition is at the Vatican Museums in Vatican City.

ABC News - The 230 G was developed for St. John Paul II’s visit to Germany.

WHEN:

WHEN omitted because the articles provide no calendar date strictly after the current date.

WHY:

ABC News - The vehicles were designed to let the pope be seen and to see the faithful safely and comfortably, according to Barbagallo.

Vatican News - Leo connected the electric popemobile with Pope Francis’s ecological priorities and recalled Francis’s encouragement to make mobility “truly sustainable and accessible.”

HOW:

ABC News - The first vehicle on display, a Mercedes-Benz Nürburg 460, was given to Pope Pius XI on May 23, 1930, and was specifically built and prepared for papal use.

Vatican News - The exhibition presents the development of automotive technology alongside the significance of papal journeys.

(UPDATED October 29, 2026 10:01 UTC)

The Vatican Museums have unveiled a preview of “A Century of the Popemobile,” an exhibition featuring eight Mercedes-Benz vehicles used by popes since the first was delivered to Pope Pius XI in 1930. Pope Leo XIV thanked the automaker’s executives and generations of workers for their partnership with the Holy See, saying the popemobile evolved from transportation into a way for popes to meet the faithful. The vehicles on display trace that changing role, from a 300 d Landaulet with removable windows to a protective 230 G and Pope Francis’s fully electric popemobile.