Mercedes Museum Is Celebrating Millennials (Urgh) With A ‘Youngtimer’ Display

Mercedes-Benz will exhibit a selection of its classic models built in the 1990s and early 2000s, including an EVO II 190 E and two ‘Vision’ concepts, as part of a ‘Youngtimer’ display at its official Museum in Stuttgart.

The ‘Youngtimer’ showcase, said to be a journey back in time to “to the millennials’ automotive youth” will run from 11 April to 2 November this year, and celebrates not only the production models themselves but also experiences, memories, emotions, and “dream potential” each evoked when first launched. Headline models in the display will include the Vision R 320 CDI from 2005 (a precursor to the short-lived R-Class), classic CL and ML sedans in full-sized, diecast-replica boxes, and the insane, BMW M3-rivaling 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II.

Five ‘Islands’ Make Up Youngtimer Display

16 cars will be split across three different exhibitions at the Museum, with 10 dedicated exclusively to the ‘Youngtimer’ exhibition. Even this will be divided into five display ‘islands.’

‘Easy Life’ is a colorful homage to life in the 1990s, and will feature convertible examples of a 1997 SLK (170 Series) and a CLK (208 Series) from 1998. ‘Supersonic’ leans more on the performance side of things – and the “joy of innovation” – and will be represented by a 190 E 2.5 EVO II (201 series) from 1990, a E 500 Limited (124 series) from 1994, and an SLR McLaren Roadster (199 series) from 2007.

An E 60 AMG power saloon (210 series) from 1997 is the standalone piece for ‘Subculture,’ which celebrates individualism and creativity, while ‘Refinement’ – fairly self-explanatory – will be represented by a CL 600 (215 series) from 1999 and a CLS 350 CGI (219 series) from 2006. This CL 600 in particular is the actual vehicle that introduced the automotive world to Mercedes’ new C 215 series at the Geneva Motor Show in 1999.

‘Space’ rounds out the Youngtimer exhibit, and is a tribute to “visionary approaches” to technology and design, and features an SL 500 (129 series) from 2000, and the Vision R 320 CDI (251 series) from 2005. The Youngtimer display will also feature family activations, including 90s-style arcade games and a booth where fans can create short music clips with the cars as their backdrop.

Youngtimer Display

Five Full-Sized Diecasts, And One Of Mercedes’ First Compact Hybrids

In a neat touch, Mercedes will also showcase five models in the museum’s multi-storey parking lot, all displayed within full-sized glass boxes that commemorate each car’s original diecast replica. This display includes the Vision CLK 320 CDI, which introduced a 3.0-liter ‘OM642’ diesel V6 to the CLK range for 2005, the 362-horsepower, V8-powered C 55 AMG Sedan, of which 4,021 were built in its short production run between 2004 and 2007, and an A 160 “Häkkinen” (168 series) from 1998, a limited edition alternate to the first generation A-Class celebrating the first Formula 1 World Championship for Finland’s Mika Hakkinen (note the signature on the steering wheel and bonnet).

The five “sales packaging” models will be joined by a single, A-Class HyPer (168 series) from 1999, which is set to be displayed until “at least” mid-June. A standalone figure on Mercedes’ “Classic” island display, the HyPer research vehicle was one of the first compact Mercedes to feature a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Multistorey Display Cases

• Mercedes-Benz A 160 “Häkkinen” (168 series), 1998
• Mercedes-Benz CL 500 (140 series), 1998
• Mercedes-Benz ML 500 (163 series), 2004
• Mercedes-Benz Vision CLK 320 CDI (209 series), 2005
• Mercedes-Benz C 55 AMG (203 series), 2007

Classic Island

• Mercedes-Benz A-Class HyPer (168 series ), 1999