The 3rd European convention of vintage buses and coaches staged on 29 April in Mannheim brought together 135 vintage vehicles, many of which were returning to their country of origin. With its bus and coach factory in Mannheim, the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg has created "living bus history". Konstantinos Tsiknas, Head of Sales Germany for the Mercedes-Benz Buses and Coaches division EvoBus GmbH welcomed around 250 participants – and nine Mercedes-Benz buses built between 1948 and 1972 – to the historical plant in Lutzenberg.

Every four years, veteran vehicles travel from all parts of Europe to the European convention of vintage buses and coaches. The venues for the latest event held this year were the German cities of Sinsheim, Mannheim and Speyer. The idea for the convention came from Reiner Moerch and Dr. Konrad Auwaerter – both passionate "vintage bus collectors" – in collaboration with the Auto & Technik Museum (Automotive & Technology Museum) in Sinsheim. Their goal was to celebrate the heritage of buses and coaches and promote it to a wider audience. But the event is also about owners and enthusiasts from all over the world being given a platform to meet and exchange experiences. The theme of this year’s convention (29 April to 1 May) was very much in the spirit of automotive history – celebrating its 125th anniversary – and the 100 year history of buses and coaches. One of the highlights on the agenda was a visit to Mannheim and a tour of the Mercedes-Benz bus and coach plant.

Mercedes-Benz is very much a part of bus and coach history in Mannheim. The automobile had only been existence for nine years when its inventor Carl-Benz asked himself: "How can I maximise the benefits of my invention?" The logical solution was the "omnibus". The first bus was built by Carl Benz in 1895. Though the vehicle had one or two minor "faults" – the engine lacked sufficient power for the topography of the Siegerland region and passengers were regularly obliged to disembark and help push the vehicle to the top of hills – the invention had many positive features. Carl Benz recognised that greater emphasis needed to be placed on individual customer requirements. Customers were soon able to select from a range of engine sizes, body assemblies with different door configurations, and interior designs with varying seating numbers. Such individualisation became an unparalleled success story – or rather an evolutionary process. The bus and coach plant in Mannheim played a key role in this process.