Mercedes-Benz Heritage Turns Classic Car Restoration into a Profitable Business

Mercedes-Benz Heritage, the historic-car arm of Mercedes-Benz, operates as a high-end used-car business. Annual payments from the parent company fund the heritage fleet’s custodianship, forming a core part of Heritage’s operating budget.

Newsweek

Recent upgrades have doubled the facility’s workshop and storage space to 18,000 sq ft in Fellbach, Germany, enabling service of both historic S-Class models and future classic battery-electric vehicles. Heritage’s visibility has grown through participation in events such as the Mille Miglia regularity challenge, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and the opening of a Mercedes-Benz Studio in Beijing. The Classic Partner Network now includes Gargash Enterprises in the United Arab Emirates.

Newsweek

The division’s auction strategy has generated sizable returns: the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé fetched $143 million in 2022, the 1954 W 196 R Stromlinienwagen sold for $51.15 million in 2025, and a 1908 17.3-liter “Brooklands” Rennwagen realized $8.25 million the same year. Heritage maintains a fleet of over 1,100 cars, and the 65,000-mile “Mercedes-Benz 140 Places Tour” this year showcased both new S-Class models and a replica of the 1896 Patent Motorwagen, concluding in Stuttgart.

Newsweek

Marcus Breitschwerdt, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Heritage, describes the operation as “profitable” despite the mixed calculations involved in restoration costs versus sales revenue. Ethan Gibson, head of communications at RM Sotheby’s, emphasizes that the collectibility of these vehicles stems from their rarity and engineering significance, not merely auction prices.

Newsweek

• “A lot of people would tell you that it's very difficult to make money with anything which is heritage restoration, but that's a mislead approach. At the end of the day, the heritage business [is a used car business with a] closer focus. Having a workshop, buying cars, building them up, selling them and dealing with parts… it's simply the pinnacle, the top segment of the used car business,” — Marcus Breitschwerdt, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Heritage

Newsweek

• “It's a mixed calculation, but all in all, it is profitable,” — Marcus Breitschwerdt, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Heritage

Newsweek

• “What makes these Mercedes-Benz cars so collectible goes well beyond the prices they achieve. Take the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé. Put the extraordinary sum aside and look at what it actually is. One of only two ever built, an incredible engineering achievement, and a car that remained with Mercedes-Benz for nearly 70 years,” — Ethan Gibson, head of communications at RM Sotheby’s

Newsweek