The specialist: Mercedes-Benz Heritage GmbH

By Martin Buckley

| 11 Apr 2025

Classic & Sports Car – The specialist: Mercedes-Benz Heritage GmbH

At the beginning of 2023, Mercedes-Benz consolidated all of its classic-car-related activities under Mercedes-Benz Heritage GmbH as a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz AG.

Given that the firm built the first practical automobiles and has had a factory museum for more than 60 years, this feels like a significant vote of confidence in the role that historic vehicles have to play in a fast-changing automotive landscape.

Within the remit of the recently formed Mercedes-Benz Heritage, as well as the museum and an 1100-car rolling museum, comes its archive, which is key in authenticating historic models alongside its state-of-the-art testing and measurement techniques – although the €20,000 price for a full test and report probably only makes sense if you own a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, Roadster or similarly valuable exotica.

Clockwise from top: the Mercedes-Benz Heritage workshop caters for customer cars and the marque’s own collection; the SSK that competed in the Targa Florio was brought back to life; 42 different types of three-pointed-star badge are available

Mercedes-Benz Heritage can even sell you a fully authenticated classic car from its Stuttgart HQ or its outpost at Long Beach, California.

Then there are the factory restoration, repair and maintenance services.

The scope of this was greatly boosted by the February 2024 acquisition of Kienle Automobiltechnik, the famous Mercedes-Benz 600 and 300SL specialist founded in 1984.

A downturn in trade during COVID-19, and some unwanted publicity regarding a 300SL Roadster with some question marks over its chassis number, resulted in cancelled restorations.

Spot the difference – the issue of low-quality, non-Mercedes-Benz spare parts is being addressed

Insolvency ensued and Mercedes-Benz stepped in, paying €3.5million for the specialist tooling, spare parts and know-how of the employees of this otherwise well-respected workshop.

This also means that sheet-metal work and upholstery can be done on site at the Classic Center, where work on museum and customer vehicles is carried out by a now extensively expanded team of specialists.

The focus is on maintaining originality wherever possible, be that in spare parts, materials or working methods: your R107 SL or 123-series estate would be worked on to the same high standards as a 300SLR being prepared for the Mille Miglia.

Extra space is now available, and there are plans to put all of the restoration workshops under one roof in Stuttgart.

Mercedes-Benz’s in-house archive confirms provenance of historic models (left); this 300SL Gullwing is one of Mercedes’ own cars

Traditionally, Mercedes-Benz has always been a leader in maintaining parts supply for its older models, but in recent years this reputation was beginning to wane.

This caused producers of non-genuine components to step in, with predictable consequences in terms of quality and, in some cases, safety, particularly with brake discs, wheels and steering parts.

With that in mind, and doubtless with an eye on revenue losses, Mercedes-Benz has an Intellectual Property Competence team devoted to taking down the online parts pirates.

Upholstery repair and restoration can all be carried out in-house at Mercedes-Benz Heritage GmbH in Fellbach, Germany

With responsibility transferred from Mercedes-Benz Service and Parts to Mercedes-Benz Heritage, the firm is now committed to turning this situation around by adding as many as 25,000 new parts for classic cars to its inventory every year in an effort to close gaps in supply.

Splitting the modern and classic components business should make online ordering easier, and there are plans to grow with more technicians and engineers to speed up the purchasing and procurement processes.

Mercedes-Benz can currently supply 160,000 different items for older models – produced, the firm says, to the original specifications.

Most are available within 24 hours in 170 countries, covering 57 different model series: everything from an oiler or a tyre for an 1886 Patent-Motorwagen to a rear wing for a 240-series Maybach.

The stores stock 42 different variations on the three-pointed-star badge alone.

Images: Mercedes-Benz