Inside Mercedes-Benz’s top-secret car bunkers

HIDDEN deep in an industrial area in Germany sits 11 seemingly inconspicuous warehouses.

From the outside, these appear like any other bland, unadorned storage facility.

But what hides behind a single unassuming door is the most incredible car collection in the world.

The 11 secret warehouses contain Mercedes-Benz’s entire automotive history, from 1888 through to Lewis Hamilton’s 2015 F1 Championship winning car.

Known within the company as Heilige Hallen, the Holy Halls, one of the only ways a mere mortal like you or I could see inside the hallowed walls would be via an invite from a Mercedes-Benz board member.

However, for the first time ever, a member of the media was allowed inside three of the warehouses – that media person was our very own Peter Robinson who, with a photographer, was taken for a two-day guided tour to bring you these incredible photos.

Wheels has a world exclusive feature on that tour in our latest issue. But for now, you can enjoy these glorious photos.

Smart phones are still not permitted inside the warehouses as GPS tracking can give away their location.

The vast open spaces of the warehouses hide some of the most secretive and rare cars ever created. In fact, the world’s most expensive car (insured at $94 million) sits hidden somewhere between the rows of vehicles.

The over 1000 cars are rotated through Mercedes-Benz’s official museum, with others put on show overseas or at classic motoring events.

It would be impossible to put a dollar value on what is held in the Holy Halls, with several one-off racing cars, along with championship winners, record holders, rare special editions, and concept cars all sitting side-by-side.

There is even a wall that has Formula 1 and IndyCars stacked in hermetically sealed glass containers, like life-size scale models.

While many of us will never experience the joy of seeing this collection with our own eyes, now you can sit back and take a moment to enjoy these wonderful photos which captured our time in the Holy Halls.

For the full story, pick up the latest issue of Wheels, on sale now.