RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Mercedes-Benz anchors Monterey with a Future Classics Auction House.
A one-of-one 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Streamliner will lead the Pebble Beach Tour d\u2019Elegance.
Mercedes-Benz opened a MANUFAKTUR Made to Measure Hub at its new studio in Beverly Hills.
The 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Streamliner leading the Tour d\u2019Elegance. A near-twin of LeBron James\u2019 personalized Mercedes-Maybach S 680 on the lawn. And a 1905 American Mercedes sharing space with the latest AMG hypercars. Mercedes-Benz is turning Pebble Beach Automotive Week 2026 into a rolling story about what its past and future collectors will care about.
Across Monterey Car Week, the brand leans into \u201cfuture classics\u201d while celebrating 140 years since the Benz Patent-Motorwagen. If you are trying to sort out what to see, when to see it, and how Mercedes-Benz stacks up against other big-name debuts, the Pebble Beach program shows where the brand wants to go next.
Mercedes-Benz is anchoring its Monterey presence with the Future Classics Auction House, a new space that mixes fresh metal and blue-chip classics under one roof. The last known remaining 1905 American Mercedes appears alongside modern heavy hitters like AMG flagships and MANUFAKTUR builds, pushing a \u201cfuture collector\u201d angle instead of a pure museum display.
That 1905 car reappears at the Pebble Beach Concours d\u2019Elegance itself, tying into a wider Mercedes-Benz Classic program built around 140 years of innovation. Heritage standouts include the original Benz Patent-Motorwagen, a 1938 320 Streamliner Sedan, a 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II, a 300 SL Roadster, and a CLK 63 AMG Black Series, all positioned as milestones leading up to today\u2019s limited-run specials.
The headline car on the move is the one-of-one 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Streamliner, scheduled to lead the Pebble Beach Tour d\u2019Elegance on August 13. On the luxury side, a near-identical twin of LeBron James\u2019 personalized Mercedes-Maybach S 680 will be shown during Automotive Week, while the NBA star\u2019s original car is set to be auctioned later in the year to benefit the LeBron James Family Foundation. The S 680 already sits at the top of the Maybach S-Class range with a V12 engine, a chauffeur-focused rear cabin, and deep MANUFAKTUR customization, so a celebrity-bespoke example landing on the Pebble lawn underlines how Mercedes wants modern Maybachs to sit alongside its prewar showpieces.
Mercedes-Maybach S 680 interior created by LeBron James
Monterey Car Week 2026 runs August 13 through 16 across the Monterey Peninsula, with the 75th Pebble Beach Concours d\u2019Elegance wrapping up on Sunday, August 16 at Pebble Beach Golf Links. This year\u2019s Concours puts Ferrari in the spotlight as the featured marque, with a dedicated Chinetti/NART class, while Vignale is honored as the featured coachbuilder.
For enthusiasts tracking how carmakers balance nostalgia with what comes next, the message is consistent. Mercedes-Benz is celebrating 140 years of innovation with a transcontinental journey to 140 locations worldwide and has opened its first MANUFAKTUR Made to Measure Hub in the United States at Mercedes-Benz Studio Los Angeles in Beverly Hills. If you are already watching how retro cues are being revived across German brands, this Pebble Beach lineup of prewar streamliners, 1980s DTM heroes, and present-day design studies fits neatly into the broader revival of classic Audi, BMW, and Mercedes styling.
1990 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II
Motor1's Take: Mercedes has staged Pebble Beach so it reads less like a static museum show and more like a marketing brief for future collectors, using everything from LeBron\u2019s Maybach S 680 to the 540K Streamliner to steer taste as much as celebrate history. If you follow collector markets, watch how buyers, dealers, and rival marques respond to this mix of heritage and halo cars.
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