Vatican Museums Open Popemobile Exhibit
A new show at the Vatican Museums traces a century of Mercedes-Benz vehicles used by the popes.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Catholicism
The Vatican Museums have opened "A Century of the Popemobile," featuring eight Mercedes-Benz models borrowed from the Mercedes-Benz and Vatican collections. The exhibit is housed in a temporary pavilion within the Vatican's Square Garden and tracks the relationship between Mercedes-Benz and the Holy See.
Why it matters
The exhibit traces how papal transportation has evolved, from an early 1930s vehicle to modern models shaped by security needs. It also documents how the 1981 assassination attempt on John Paul II changed popemobile design.
The exhibit displays eight vehicles, including the Nurburg 460 delivered to Pope Pius XI in 1930 and the ML 500 made for Benedict XVI in 2012. It excludes vehicles from Mercedes-Benz competitors that were gifted to the pope.
The players
Vatican Museums
The museum complex of the Holy See that houses papal art and collections and is hosting this exhibit.
Mercedes-Benz
The German automaker that has built popemobiles for the Holy See and whose historic collection supplies vehicles for the show.
Pope John Paul II
The pope whose 1980 popemobile marked the start of the modern design and whose 1981 assassination attempt led to bulletproof glass.
Pope Benedict XVI
The pope for whom Mercedes-Benz made the ML 500 popemobile in 2012.
The details
Visitors enter through the museum's Carriage Pavilion, and the show draws on historic cars that are normally kept in a closely protected Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart. The first modern popemobile appeared in 1980 for John Paul II, and bulletproof glass has been standard since the 1981 assassination attempt.
Timeline
1930: Nurburg 460 delivered to Pope Pius XI.
1980: First modern popemobile appears for John Paul II.
1981: Assassination attempt on John Paul II prompts use of bulletproof glass.
2012: ML 500 made for Pope Benedict XVI.
2014: Pope Francis criticizes the "sardine can" popemobile.
Legacy Context
The exhibit's timeline centers on the 1981 assassination attempt on John Paul II, after which popemobiles adopted bulletproof glass. The show places that security shift within a century of papal vehicles, from the 1930 Nurburg 460 onward.
Readers planning a Vatican visit can view the show in the museum's Carriage Pavilion as part of their trip. The exhibit offers a concrete view of how papal transport has changed over a century.
The takeaway
Papal vehicles reflect both tradition and modern security needs, and the exhibit shows how those priorities have shaped design. Visitors can see how a single 1981 event transformed a century-old ritual of public greeting.
Further reading
For more on the Church's traditions, explore the Catholicism section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Kuwait Times.
