Gottlieb Daimler was the first man to harness with any true degree of success a combustion engine into a road vehicle. Granted there were horseless vehicle predecessors to Daimler's motorcycle but Daimler's was the first recognized internal combustion vehicle and the first to incorporate a practical transmission system.
Shortly after Daimler applied for his combustion motor patent, Carl Benz of Mannheim, Germany was granted a German patent covering a three-wheel motor car he constructed in 1844. This single cylinder, 3/4 hp, benzene fueled motor car had a combination of belts, chains and gears to transmit power to the rubber tired rear wheels but no gear change was possible.
Daimler's first four-wheeler, a Victoria-type motor driven carriage, was built in 1866. By 1890 demands for Daimler's engine made expansion necessary and a corporation was formed, the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft. or Daimler Motor Company as it was known in English. Benz, with several associates formed another corporation, Benz & Company, at Mannheim.
Daimler continued his automotive research and prior to his death in 1900 was credited with such inventions as the honeycomb type radiator; the float type carburetor; V-twin cylinder engine (such as used in present-day Harley-Davidson motorcycles); interrupted low-tension electric ignition; four-cylinder engine; foot accelerator; and motor and transmission in one integral section.
The first recorded auto race, sponsored by the Petit-Journal of Paris in 1894 and conducted over a Paris to Rouen course, attracted forty-six entries and was looked forward to as a test of the steamer and electric versus the gas burners. The first three winning cars were powered by Daimler-built engines. From that time on the Daimler Mercedes and later (after 1926) the Mercedes-Benz were to gain continuing prestige through their high-speed performance.
A wealthy banker-sportsman Emil Jellinek of Vienna was much impressed by the success of the Daimler motor in racing competition. He purchased controlling stock interest in Daimler in the early 1890's and put nearly unlimited funds at the disposal of Gottlieb and Daimler's two sons, Paul and Adolph. It was Jellinek who encouraged Daimler in his idea to create what was to be the most powerful car of its day, a 35 h.p. Monster.
In 1900 the 4-cylinder Daimler was completed and the car was christened in honor of Emil Jellinek's beautiful daughter, Mercedes. The new car was an immediate sensation. From its flaring front fenders, rakish rearward sloping steering column to the T-head type cylinder construction and twin carburetors, the Mercedes was a beauty and did justice to its namesake.
Jellinek, controller of the Daimler plant, and father of the young lady for whom the 1900 luxury four-wheeler was named, was so obsessed with his interest in high-speed automobiles that for nearly' five years he held exclusive rights to the bulk of the Mercedes production and carefully limited the sale of the cars to individuals of known influence. Jellinek's own international reputation as a sportsman and his careful selection of purchasers of the limited number of Mercedes available placed the cars with an upper-bracket clientele which, nearly as much as the car's own intrinsic superior engineering and design, gave the Mercedes it's reputation as a quality and high performance product.
If one were to have made a post-war visit to the famous Mercedes-Benz factory at Unterturkheim, Germany in October, 1945, one would have good reason to conclude that no new cars would emerge from this site for at least another five years. The word "site" is used reservedly, for between 70 and 80 percent of the factory buildings had been destroyed by aerial bombardment and this same fate had overtaken most of the other plants at Sindelfingen and elsewhere. Additionally, a large quantity of the light machine tools had been dispersed during the war in what became the French occupied zone of Germany. Raw materials were practically non-existent and the technical staff disrupted by the de-Nazifying enactments which were then being enforced with the utmost severity. But in fact, it only took Dr. lng, W. Haspel and O. Hoppe, and their co-directors a matter of only three years to rebuild and re-equip the factories and to introduce the first post-war models. In 1948, the new four-door saloon, which was made in its entirety at Sindelfingen, followed closely on the lines of the 2.3 liter car of 1939.
 S (1926) |
1919. Peacetime production.Drawing on experience gained with aero engines in the First World War, it was now decided to use supercharging in vehicle engines too.
1921. The first luxury models. In 1921 Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft presented two new vehicle models at the Berlin Motor Show. These were the first luxury cars of the post-war era.
1923. The Benz Drop-Shaped Car of 1923 was unusual in its basic layout and can be regarded as the first mid-engine racing car in the world..The drop-shaped car's greatest moment was in the Monza European Grand Prix.
 K (W24) (1926) |
1924. The Merger. After winning a combined 269 races, Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie. co-ordinate their production activities and two years later merged into present day Mercedes Benz.
1926. Shortly after the merger, Daimler-Benz create the legendary "K Type" supercharged model. It had a top speed of 145 km/h, making it the fastest touring car in the world.
1929. The new medium-sized cars. One of the first models to appear after the merger was the
 770 (1930) |
1934-1936. The dream cars of the 30's. In the 30's cars such as the 500 K and the 540 K were among the most sought after cars. Cars like the 540 K sports car are among the all-time showpieces of automotive engineering.
1934. A new racing formula led Daimler-Benz to develop a completely new car known as the W 25. Over the weight limit to enter races at first, a sand down on the paint allowed the Silver Arrow to win countless series.
 W 136 (1946) |
1945. A fresh start. After the War, the bombed out Untertürkheim plant put production of cars on hold, and for the first few months, the factory's output included trailers for bicycles.
1946. Car business resumes At the Sindelfingen plant, . which survived damage, production continued except it only produced as a pick-up, because the Allied Control Council, prohibited Germany from manufacturing personal cars.
1949. The first new post-war developments May of this year saw the first new post-war development: a diesel version of the 170, which soon became a best-seller.
 W 186 (1951) |
1954. The dream car of the 1950's. The 300 SL, which went into production in 1954 was a dream car from the moment it came onto the market. Its 215 hp 3-liter 6-cylinder engine gave the 300 SL a top speed of 250 km/h.
1955. A new roadster. The 190 SL was a "popular" version of the 300 SL. The cost of the 190 SL was only half that of the 300 SL. The roadster was fitted with a 4-cylinder engine from the 190 saloon, upgraded to 105 hp. More than 26,000 190 SL's were sold around the world.
1958. Launch of the SE series. The 220 E series was more economical the a 300 SL. With better flexibility, higher power output and substantially improved pulling power, it consumed approximately half a liter less fuel per hundred kilometers than the 220 S.
 SE (1961) |
1961. More safety for Mercedes-Benz drivers. Daimler-Benz researches were always convinced in the safety of the seat belt. They had been optionally available since 1957, however in 1961, the company started to fit the anchorage points for seat belts as standard.
1963. A new "Grand Mercedes". In 1963, Daimler-Benz presented a new model: the 600, a car of superlatives in every way and fitted out with a wide array of electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic and vacuum-operated systems. 2,600 were sold through 1981.
 W 107 coupe (1971) |
1974. New convertibles. The seventies too had their SL. The running gear of the new convertibles was taken from the /8 series. Even more than their predecessors, they emphasized elegance rather than sportiness.
1977. A completely new Mercedes. The W 123 T-models presented in 1977 were a new departure in the Mercedes model range. The letter "T" stands for "tourism" and "transport".
1979. The new S-class makes its debut. Gone was the chrome trim of the predecessor. Instead, bumpers and broad side plastic moldings bore witness to a functional design philosophy. The drag coefficient of 0.36 was low for the times.
 S (1980) |
1982. Mercedes in a new format. In late 1982, the new W 201 series saw the light of day. With their new body and running gear, these compact vehicles sparked lively discussion.
1984. Daimler-Benz introduced a new "mid-series" car, the W 124, incorporating further advances in passive safety. It featured belt-tensioners for driver and front passenger as standard equipment and a steering wheel airbag was optionally available.
1989. Silver Arrows return to the stage. Before the first event in Suzuka, the Mercedes C 9's were resprayed in silver. The Silver Arrows made a comeback worthy of the proud tradition. The Silver Arrows won 7 out of 8 races including a double win in the Le Mans 24 Hours race.
 F 100 (1991) |
1993. Mercedes-Benz was the first manufacturer in the world to fit a four-valve diesel engine in a car. The new engine, fitted in the new E-class models - offering enhanced performance and smoothness, along with extreme longevity.
1994. The renaissance of the roadster. The SLK study for a small convertible was given a rapturous welcome when it was unveiled at the Turin Motor Show. SLK stands for "sportlich", "leicht" and "kurz = short". The two-seater from Stuttgart is the most exciting Mercedes in years. Fitted with the latest safety technology and offered with a 4-cylinder in-line engine with or without supercharger, it develops a maximum output of 150 or 250 hp. This new dream car will start to leave the Mercedes plant in Bremen as early as 1996. It will write a new chapter in the company's long and remarkable roadster tradition.
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