Pope Leo has praised the popemobile as an “instrument of encounter” which enables him to draw closer to the faithful.

He was speaking to organisers of a new exhibition celebrating nearly 100 years of one of the world’s most recognisable forms of transport.

The exhibition, at the Vatican charts the history of eight vehicles, from the first popemobile which was gifted to Pope Pius XI in 1930 by the German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz. The black Nürburg 460 was upholstered in fine brocade and had a luxurious armchair.

Pope Leo, who is said to be a car enthusiast, told the organisers who included executives from Mercedes-Benz that “Over the decades, the popemobile has evolved from a means of transportation into an instrument of encounter, enabling the pontiff to draw closer to the faithful during pastoral visits and public celebrations,” adding that “in this way, your work has helped facilitate the church’s mission of reaching out to people and bringing a message of faith, of hope and of charity to the world.”

The exhibition, which is open to the public until 28 January shows how the vehicles evolved from stately limousines to smaller, more practical cars. Not all the Pope’s vehicles have been manufactured by Mercedes-Benz. Other companies have also had the honour of transporting the pontiff, among them Land Rover and Ford.

In 1980, a Mercedes developed for Pope John Paul II's visit to Germany revolutionised papal transport. It had an elevated compartment beneath a large, transparent dome enabling crowds to see the pontiff more clearly. Bullet-resistant glass was added after an assassination attempt on the Pope the following year.

Recalling an electric popemobile presented to Pope Francis in recent years, Leo urged the manufacturers to “continue placing technological innovation at the service of human dignity, care for creation and the common good”.