Mercedes F1 show car takes a spot in Singapore's giant car vending machine
Mercedes put a 2025 W16 show car in 2026 season colors on the sixth level of Autobahn Motors' automated showroom during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend. The appearance was a publicity stunt, not an opportunity to drive away in a Formula 1 car.
Omar Al Nuaimi
An F1 car among the luxury models
The Mercedes display added a temporary attraction to a 15-story showroom stocked with cars from Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley and Mercedes-Benz. Visitors shared their reactions on social media, with one writing, "That's so sick!" Another said their jaw dropped when they saw images of the display.
Autobahn Motors operates the car vending machine at its headquarters in the ABM Building. MotorBiscuit lists the address as 20 Jalan Kilang, #02-00, Singapore, not far from the Marina Bay street circuit.
The dealership has used the building for other displays, too. For Singapore's National Day in 2020, it arranged red and white cars across the showroom. According to Mothership, the building was illuminated nightly from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. through August 10, continuing a custom it had followed in recent years.
How the showroom delivers a car
Customers choose a vehicle, and an automated retrieval system brings it down. Rather than dropping its contents like a snack machine, the showroom carefully lowers each car with a custom-built lift. TechCrunch reported that the bespoke "fishbone" delivery system delivers a vehicle within about two minutes of payment.
The building can accommodate 60 cars. According to The Business Times, the S$3 million facility opened in December 2016 on Jalan Kilang in Bukit Merah.
From a toy display to a dealership
General Manager Gary Hong found the inspiration for the showroom in a display case of Matchbox cars at Toys 'R' Us. Autobahn Motors, a family-run dealership in business since 1989, brought that idea to full-size vehicles.
The move to Jalan Kilang replaced the company's longtime showroom on Bukit Timah Road. The Business Times reported that Autobahn Motors had occupied the earlier location since the business began, almost 30 years before the move.
Hong estimated that sales increased by about 30% after the automated showroom opened, according to The Business Times and CorD Magazine. The project also earned the SG Mark Gold design award, which Hong described to The Business Times as an endorsement of the firm's efforts to introduce innovation and creativity to the car industry.
