The conclusion of the New Zealand leg of the Mercedes-Benz "140Years 140Places" tour totalled 3800km through the North and South Islands, generated more than 10,000 photographs and videos and connected countless generations of the marque's vehicles.
The 140Years 140Places global journey was created to mark 140 years since Carl Benz filed the patent for the first automobile. It began in Europe in January 2026, following the world debut of the new S-Class, and and will conclude in Stuttgart this October. The tour reveals the new S-Class ahead of the local market introductions, including NZ.
As part of the worldwide tour, three new-generation S-Class models were each given a heritage-inspired name. NZ welcomed Gottlieb, a nod to Gottlieb Daimler, while Carl and Bertha both toured Australia.
Following its visit through Asia, the NZ leg began with a launch evening at Flying Fish Studio in Auckland, where guests gathered to pay tribute to the arrival of NZ’s first motor vehicles in 1898, when Wellington politician William McLean imported two Benzes - the Petrolette and the Lightning — aboard the SS Rotomahana.
Broadcaster Mike McRoberts told the story as he introduced the S-Class, revealed from within a period-inspired shipping container, before its national journey began.
From Auckland, the tour continued to Ardmore, where Mercedes-Benz owners and enthusiasts gathered at the Warbirds Association Hangar. Classic, rare and contemporary models came together, showcasing almost every evolution of the S-Class.
Lloyd Marx, an owner and guest, was invited to apply the official commemorative sticker to the new S-Class, featuring an image of his 1963 (W111) 220 SE.
Each major NZ stop was marked with a bespoke location sticker placed on the S-Class, creating a visual record of the journey.
After travelling south via Taupō and Hawke’s Bay, the tour arrived in Paraparaumu for a standout heritage moment at the Southward Car Museum, home to one of the Southern Hemisphere’s most significant private vehicle collections and the oldest surviving motor vehicle in NZ: an 1895 Benz Velo imported by Christchurch businessman Nicholas Oates in 1900.
The tour boarded the Bluebridge Ferry for the Cook Strait crossing, carrying the S-Class onward to the South Island. After a stop at Nin’s Bin near Kaikōura, the journey paused at Lake Tekapo, within the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.
Recognised as the largest dark sky reserve in the Southern Hemisphere, the Mackenzie setting provided a spectacular backdrop.
The journey continued to Ayrburn Estate, where the tour was met by a privately owned collection of Mercedes-Benz vehicles arriving in convoy from Dunedin.
After lunch at Ayrburn, the collection continued to Highlands Motorsport Park, where the classic models joined the new S-Class and Mercedes-AMG GT 63 on circuit.
Following the conclusion of the Kiwi leg, the 140Years 140Places tour is now continuing in India.
