Most Memorable Mercedes-Benz Movie Cars

Seeing the Three Pointed Star on the hood of the car will immediately conjure up some sort of image in the viewer’s mind, perhaps more so than any other car brand could.

And the fact that Mercedes makes such a wide range of vehicles really gives movie makers a lot to play around with. Like the effect obtained by having a character drive any version of the G-Class (also known as the G-Wagen or Geländewagen) could not be matched by any other 4x4.

The G55 AMG was featured in 2013’s A Good Day to Die Hard and while the film itself didn’t prove especially popular with movie goers, there was nothing wrong with the scene where Bruce Willis drives the vehicle off a bridge, onto a trailer carrying Porsches, then over the top of cars stuck in traffic. It’s not the most believable of scenes, but if there’s one vehicle that would be suited for that scene, it’s definitely a G55.

Another one was featured in 2004's The Bourne Supremacy in the scene where Jason, the main protagonist played by Matt Damon, is chased around Moscow by a black G-Wagen. Said scene which, by the way, is really well shot and intense, highlights the Mercedes 4x4’s rugged character as it is used to pummel the taxi that Jason was driving (even if the G ends up in a pretty bad shape by the end).

Mercedes SLs are also a movie staple, usually used to highlight how well off a certain protagonist is and how carefree their life is. Nothin screams “I’m doing well for myself” more than driving a top-tier drop-top Merc, right?

Various generation SLs have had important roles in movies, like the 1996 SL500 owned by Jim Carrey’s character in 1997’s Liar Liar, or the 1980 450 SL from 1980’s American Gigolo, and the 1975 450 SL from the mobster classic Casino, released in 1995. The SL was also made popular by the Dallas TV show where it was driven by Bobby Ewing (whose character was played by actor Patrick Duffy) - that car was a red 1978 380 SL.

The Mercedes-Benz 600 (the W100) was probably the pinnacle luxury car when it was launched in 1963, which is why it was a favorite for heads of state and other very important people. Naturally, since it just oozes opulence, there was a role for it in movies like 1977’s High Anxiety, 1997’s Batman and Robin, 2004’s The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, and 2006’s The Last King of Scotland, just to name but a few.

The last movie in the list portrays the life of Ugandan president Idi Amin, widely regarded as one of the cruelest African dictators ever - the car was chosen for historical accuracy here as Amin was actually driven around in one back in the day.

The slightly smaller W116 from around the same period as the W100 also saw a lot of screen time. In the top 450 SEL 6.9 guise, it made people remember it with roles in 1998 Ronin, where it was the baddies’ chase car, as well as 1997’s The Lost Highway where, according to the movie’s story, the 6.9 actually had 1,400 horsepower.

We can’t forget another stunner that Mercedes made from 1959 to 1968 - the W11, and specifically the convertible version of it like the glorious 280 SE that Hugh Grant drove in 2001’s Bridget Jones’s Diary. Another 280 was featured in 2009’s The Hangover, where apparently no fewer than five were more or less wrecked during filming.

That’s a shame because the W111 was the last hand-built Mercedes (bar the 600). One slightly less famous, but no less memorable, was the W111's drop top appearance in Get Shorty, released in 1995. However, that car was a 220 SE, not the more powerful 280.