More than the story of a bespoke S-Class Mercedes, this is the story of a group of Mercedes workers, who came together to pay homage to «Madiba».
It was 1990 and Nelson Mandela was about to get out of prison, South Africa and the democratic world were celebrating. In East London, at the Mercedes factory in South Africa, there was yet another achievement. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years, for fighting apartheid and fighting the segregation policies practiced in South Africa. His release day would go down in history. But there is more to this day that few people know about.
Mercedes was the first car company in South Africa to recognize a black workers union. At Mercedes' East London factory, a group of workers had the opportunity to build a gift for Nelson Mandela, in a gesture of gratitude for all the words that during those 27 years of confinement he made known to the world, a world that has never seen him. man, let himself be guided by it. The last publicly known photograph of Nelson Mandela was from 1962.
The project on the table was the construction of the top of the range of the Stuttgart brand, the Mercedes S-Class W126. With the support of the national metalworkers union, the project was approved. The rules were simple: Mercedes would supply the components and the workers would build Mandela's S-Class Mercedes overtime, without being paid extra for it.
Thus began the construction of one of the brand's most luxurious models, the 500SE W126. Under the bonnet, the imposing 245 hp V8 M117 engine would rest. The equipment had seats, electric windows and mirrors, and an airbag for the driver. The first piece to be built was the plaque that would identify the Mercedes S-Class as belonging to Mandela, bearing its initials: 999 NRM GP ("NRM" by Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela).
The construction took four days, four days spent in constant happiness and joy. It was a gift to Nelson Mandela, the symbol of freedom and equality in a country marked by oppression. After four days of construction, the Mercedes S-Class 500SE W126 left the factory in bright red. The cheerful and festive color revealed the love of those who built it, a general feeling on a global scale that materialized there.
The Mercedes Class S was delivered to Nelson Mandela on July 22, 1991, in a ceremony that took place at the Sisa Dukashe stadium and at the hands of Philip Groom, one of the workers who participated in the construction of the car.
They say that this is probably one of the best Mercedes in the world, built by hand and with the happiness of a united and free people. Nelson Mandela had the Mercedes Class S at his service for 40,000 kilometers before handing it over to the Apartheid Museum, where it still stands, immaculate and resting.