Mercedes-Benz at Pebble Beach: Film Nostalgia, Electric Ambition and Unlimited Luxury

Mercedes-Benz leaves nothing to chance when it comes to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the most rarefied stage in the automotive world. In 2025, Stuttgart arrives in full force — from cinematic nostalgia to electric hyper-performance, and limited editions destined for only the most patient collectors.

This year’s biggest PR flourish is the “Stargaze Theatre,” an open-air cinema screening scenes featuring Mercedes’ most famous movie cars alongside the real vehicles. Visitors can see the 450 SEL from the Bond film For Your Eyes Only and the ML 320 from Jurassic Park 2. The intent is clear: reinforce the brand’s place not only as an engineering benchmark but also as a pop-culture fixture. Unsurprisingly, the setup also serves to promote F1: The Movie, a commercial project starring the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

Among the new models, the most technically intriguing is the CONCEPT AMG GT XX — a 1,341-horsepower electric concept with a three-motor drivetrain and a new AMG platform, intended to evolve into a four-door hypercar. It is a clear example of AMG’s attempt to reinvent itself before someone else does it for them.

The Vision V is something else entirely: an electric minibus with aspirations to be a “Private Lounge” on wheels. This “new luxury” feels both grandiose and awkward, as if Mercedes had looked at the EQV and decided to add crystal, pixels and upholstery until it matched a fantasy of excess. Whether it will find buyers outside Middle Eastern royalty and Asia’s corporate elite is another question.

Then there is the Maybach S 680 “Emerald Isle,” yet another ultra-limited take on the existing luxury sedan, this one inspired by the California coast. Just 25 will be built, with only one for the US market — bidding wars are likely part of the plan.

Mercedes-Benz makes full use of the opportunity to tie its current line-up to its rich heritage. At the Tour d’Elegance, the procession was led by a 1910 Benz Prinz-Heinrich, flanked by a Mercedes-AMG GT 63 “APXGP Edition,” another movie-inspired special limited to 52 units. On the Laguna Seca circuit, the legendary 300 SLR and SLR Stirling Moss were demonstrated — two “Silver Arrows” from different eras, linked more by marketing continuity than engineering lineage.

At Pebble Beach, Mercedes shows it can speak to five different audiences at once: film nostalgists, F1 fans, EV enthusiasts, image-driven collectors and historians all got their moment. The question is no longer whether Mercedes can build a car — that is taken for granted. The question is how long a brand can successfully be everywhere, for everyone, all at once.