With 435 days before the opening of the new Mercedes-Benz Museum, outside the gates of the Untertürkheim plant, on 19th May, 2006, the move has already begun. The starting shot for the minutely planned restoration and relocation programme "The Countdown Is On!" sounded with the removal of current record-holding cars and aircraft engines from the current museum. At the same time, a previously unseen special exhibition on the legendary C 111 pilot vehicles has been installed – a stimulating "substitute programme" that is sure to impress visitors.

Without affecting normal museum operations, exhibits will be regularly removed from the Museum from now on. They will be replaced with unique pieces and rarities from the Company's own extensive collection, many of which have never been on display before. "In the last year before its reopening, the Mercedes-Benz Museum is more vital than ever before. With a large number of treasures and special features, we have made the Museum particularly attractive right now," said Wolfgang Rolli, Director of the current Mercedes-Benz Museum.

Throughout the whole of 2005, in addition to the C 111, there will be a range of small special exhibitions at exclusive events, on subjects such as "Mercedes Simplex", "50 Years of the 190 SL", "Famous Supercharged Vehicles", "Mile Millionaires", etc. There will also be an increasing number of particularly rare vehicles on display, which will be loaned from private collections and relevant club groups, and so can only take a place in the Mercedes-Benz Museum temporarily. "For the first time, this last year in the old premises allows us to use the Museum in a much more dynamic way, making a visit particularly worthwhile right now," Rolli continued.

The one-year relocation phase for exhibition pieces is necessary as all the vehicles have to be thoroughly checked and cleaned at the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Fellbach. Some of them even need maintenance work or partial restoration. After all, they need to be ready on time to be admired in their full glory as the "crown jewels" of the new Mercedes-Benz Museum.