Photo: Țiriac Collection. Mercedes-Benz 540 K, one of the cars included in the anniversary display.

The international Mercedes-Benz “140 Years. 140 Places.” caravan is coming to Romania, and the first stop can be visited on Saturday, 12 September 2026, at Țiriac Collection in Otopeni. Two S-Class limousines taking part in the world tour will be displayed together with three cars from the gallery: a Mercedes-Benz 540 K, an SLR McLaren Stirling Moss and a Mercedes-AMG ONE.

The anniversary display is set up outside the gallery. After the Otopeni stop, the caravan cars will cross Bucharest and continue towards Sebeș, Sibiu and the Transfăgărășan, before the next international stage.

Which cars visitors can see

The two S-Class models in the caravan are the cars covering the international route. In Bucharest they are joined by three very different highlights from Țiriac Collection:

  • Mercedes-Benz 540 K, a car representative of the interwar period;
  • Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss, the SLR version without a conventional roof and windscreen;
  • Mercedes-AMG ONE, the contemporary hypercar that uses technology derived from Formula 1.

The selection is not a complete chronological exhibition, but a pairing of classic luxury, an early-21st-century limited series and current performance technology. The gallery also houses separately a replica of the car patented by Carl Benz in 1886, as well as all eight generations of the S-Class produced to date.

The Țiriac Collection stop timetable

The public can see the caravan on Saturday, 12 September, at Țiriac Collection, Calea Bucureștilor no. 289, Otopeni, Ilfov County. The gallery’s usual opening hours are 10:00–19:00, Thursday to Sunday.

The organisers have announced an outdoor display, but the published information does not specify a separate time slot for the caravan or a distinct ticket price. Visitors who also want to enter the permanent gallery should check access conditions and any updates directly with Țiriac Collection before travelling.

After the display, the two S-Class limousines and the Mercedes-Benz 540 K will take a route through central areas of Bucharest. The classic model then returns to the collection, while the caravan cars leave for the other stops in Romania.

Why Mercedes-Benz is marking 140 years in 2026

The anniversary starts from the patent filed by Carl Benz in 1886 for the petrol-engined vehicle known as the Benz Patent-Motorwagen. The German document DRP 37435, dated 29 January 1886, is regarded as the birth certificate of the modern automobile.

Mercedes-Benz uses this landmark for the “140 Years of Innovation” project. The “140 Years. 140 Places.” caravan links 140 destinations on six continents and covers more than 50,000 km with S-Class models.

The route has included places tied to the history of the car and of racing, such as the workshop associated with Carl Benz, the Paris–Bordeaux–Paris route, the Reims-Gueux, Spa-Francorchamps, Fuji Speedway and Sebring circuits, the Juan Manuel Fangio museum in Argentina and the Mercedes-Benz research and development centre in Bangalore.

Romania as part of the world route

Țiriac Collection is the project’s first Romanian destination, not the only one. After Bucharest, the caravan will pass through Sebeș and Sibiu, two cities linked to Mercedes-Benz’s industrial activity in Romania, then reach the Transfăgărășan.

The published calendar does not give exact times or display points for the stops after Otopeni. As a result, the only meeting with the public confirmed in detail at the time of publication is Saturday’s at Țiriac Collection.

The event offers a rare comparison between cars almost a century apart. The 540 K illustrates the era when performance and bodywork were built around classical mechanicals, the SLR Stirling Moss marks the Mercedes-Benz–McLaren collaboration, and the AMG ONE brings a propulsion system conceived from Formula 1 experience onto the road.

Sources: Țiriac Collection – gallery information, opening hours and address, ProMotor – Mercedes-Benz caravan programme in Romania and list of exhibits, Mercedes-Benz – history of the 1886 automobile patent