Mercedes-Benz At Pebble Beach: Collector Cars of Tomorrow and LeBron James’s Maybach

Mercedes-Benz is using Monterey Car Week 2026 to bridge 140 years of automotive history with a new generation of vehicles it believes could eventually become collector icons. At the centre of its Pebble Beach presence is the new Future Classics Auction House, alongside a highly personalized Mercedes-Maybach S 680 connected to LeBron James and a selection of significant vehicles from the company’s past and present.

• Mercedes-Benz is introducing its Future Classics Auction House at the 2026 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, focusing on modern vehicles with potential collector appeal.
• A bespoke Mercedes-Maybach S 680 created through the MANUFAKTUR Made to Measure program for LeBron James is one of the centrepieces.
• Mercedes-Benz Classic will complement the modern display with historically important models, including the 1938 540K Streamliner and the last known surviving 1905 “American Mercedes.”
• The Mercedes-AMG high performance electric SUV is also annonced

Mercedes-Benz Looks for the Classics of Tomorrow

Mercedes-Benz has spent much of its 140-year history looking forward, but at Pebble Beach in 2026, the German automaker is taking a slightly different approach: identifying which of its current vehicles could become the classics collectors seek decades from now.

The new Future Classics Auction House is designed to resemble the atmosphere of a prestigious collector-car auction. Rather than focusing exclusively on historic automobiles, however, Mercedes-Benz will use the space to showcase contemporary models from Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes-Maybach.

Mercedes-Maybach Unveils Limited Edition S 680 Nordic Glow

The selection includes the Mercedes-AMG PureSpeed, Mercedes-AMG G 63 Galactic Pearl and Mercedes-AMG ONE, alongside several vehicles demonstrating the possibilities offered by the MANUFAKTUR personalization program.

The idea is to explore how design, technology, performance, rarity and personalization can transform a current production vehicle into a future collectible.

“The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance unites the world’s most extraordinary automobiles with the enthusiasts, collectors and storytellers shaping automotive culture,” said Adam Chamberlain, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA.

For Mercedes-Benz, the display also provides a way of connecting its current lineup to a history that stretches back to the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen.

LeBron James’ Mercedes-Maybach S 680 Takes Centre Stage

One of the most unusual vehicles in the display is a Mercedes-Maybach S 680 created through the MANUFAKTUR Made to Measure program.

The project originated with a personalized S-Class commissioned by LeBron James. Mercedes-Benz will display a near-identical twin of the basketball star’s car at Pebble Beach, demonstrating just how far the manufacturer is prepared to take individualization.

Its exterior is finished in an exclusive MANUFAKTUR light ivory non-metallic colour, while the cabin uses blue “Stormy Weather” Nappa leather with porcelain contrast stitching. This is a color initially launch after a collaboration with the designer Vigil Abloh right before is passing in 2021.

The personalization goes significantly deeper than a unique paint-and-leather combination. James’ personal emblem replaces the traditional V12 badge, while discreet engravings reference his hometown of Akron, Ohio, and his family.

The car will eventually serve another purpose. Following its Pebble Beach appearance, it is scheduled to be auctioned later in 2026, with proceeds benefiting the LeBron James Family Foundation and its I PROMISE initiatives supporting students and families through education, housing, healthcare, job training and financial literacy programs.

MANUFAKTUR Pushes Mercedes-Benz Personalization Further

Mercedes-Benz expanded the program in the United States earlier in 2026 with the opening of its first American MANUFAKTUR Made to Measure Hub at Mercedes-Benz Studio Los Angeles in Beverly Hills. It is only the second such facility worldwide after the company’s Center of Excellence in Sindelfingen, Germany.

For collectors, this degree of personalization could become increasingly important. A vehicle with a documented one-off specification, unique provenance and direct connection to its original owner can offer something even a limited-production model cannot easily replicate.

Mercedes-Benz Brings 140 Years of History to Pebble Beach

Mercedes-Benz is not only looking toward future collectibles. Its Pebble Beach program will also feature several vehicles that have already secured their place in automotive history.

Among the most important is the one-of-one 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Streamliner, which will lead the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance on August 13. The aerodynamic 540K represents an important chapter in Mercedes-Benz’s pre-war work on high-speed touring and streamlined design.

Another historically significant vehicle is the last known surviving 1905 “American Mercedes.” Built in Queens, New York, it was one of the earliest high-performance automobiles manufactured in the United States and the first Mercedes produced in the country.

More than 120 years later, the car is returning to Pebble Beach following an extensive restoration by the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Long Beach. It will appear both at the Future Classics Auction House and at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Mercedes-Benz has considerable history at Pebble Beach itself, having accumulated a record 10 Best of Show awards at the Concours d’Elegance, according to the automaker.

1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster Wins 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

From the Patent-Motorwagen to the AMG ONE

The broader Mercedes-Benz display will span radically different periods of the company’s history.

The original Benz Patent-Motorwagen will represent the beginning of the automobile, while other notable vehicles include the 1938 Mercedes-Benz 320 Streamliner Sedan, Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II, 300 SL Roadster and CLK 63 AMG Black Series.

The historic 320 Streamliner will also be displayed alongside the new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe at Legends of the Autobahn. Meanwhile, the upcoming Mercedes-AMG GT SUV will participate in the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance alongside historic Mercedes models.

That mix is ultimately the point of Mercedes-Benz’s 2026 Pebble Beach presence. Instead of treating its heritage as something separate from its current products, the company is putting both generations side by side.

Whether models such as the AMG ONE, PureSpeed or highly personalized Mercedes-Maybach S 680 will eventually command the same attention as a 300 SL or 540K remains impossible to predict. But at Pebble Beach, Mercedes-Benz is making the case that tomorrow’s classics may already be sitting in today’s showrooms — or, increasingly, being built to the exact specifications of a single owner.