Early History of Mercedes Benz

Two men who never met are responsible for thedistance of 478 miles. The winner, Christian
early developments that led to the formation ofLautenschlager in the Mercedes, averaged a
the Mercedes Benz company. Gottlieb Daimler andspeed of 69.05mph, finishing nearly nine minutes
Carl Benz.ahead of the Benz driven by Victor Hemery. It
It was in 1886 that Carl Benz built a motorizedwas in this race that the first fatal crash took
tricycle, the world's first automobile. But it wasn'tplace when Henri Cissac crashed on the 8th lap.
until 1893 that he built his first four-wheelerBoth he and his mechanic were killed and this
named the Victoria.event led to people calling for motor racing to be
The first real production car, which took part instopped.
the first ever recorded car race, between ParisAt the beginning of WWI both the Daimler and
and Rouen, was produced in 1894. This car, whichBenz factories were converted into war
inspired many copies, was called the Benz Velo.production plants. It was after the war, in 1919,
134 Identical models were built in 1895. To ownthat Karl Jahn, from the Benz board of directors,
one of these state-of-the-art automobiles in theapproached Daimler regarding a possible merger.
UK would have cost you £125.This looked promising but was abandoned that
It was in 1886 that Gottlieb Daimler built asame year.
horseless carriage. He and his lifelong businessThe post war years were tough times in
partner, Wilhelm Maybach, had a dream to createGermany with fuel scarcity and high taxes. It was
small, high speed engines that could be used inin 1924 that Benz and Daimler signed an
any form of carriage. It was their engine attached"Agreement of Mutual Interest". This enabled both
to a regular horse-drawn carriage that formedcompanies to retain their respective identities and
this original horseless carriage.remained valid until 2000 although the two
In 1890 they formed the Daimler Motorencompanies merged on June 28th 1926.
Gesellshaft (DMG) company and sold their firstThe emblem chosen for the new merged
automobile in 1892. In 1900 Gottlieb Daimler diedcompany was a three pointed star surrounded by
but in that same year DMG produced a car fora laurel wreath with the words 'Mercedes' at the
Emil Jellinek who named the car after his ten yeartop and 'Benz' at the bottom.
old daughter Mercedes.This merger was good for both companies.
The car manufactured for Emil Jellinek was lighterAutomobile production increased to 7900 vehicles
and smaller than other automobiles of the time. Itin 1927 and a new line of Mercedes Benz trucks
used a 35 horse power engine which gave the carwent into production in 1927.
a top speed of 55mph, which was unheard of atThe Mercedes Benz Company has gone on to
the time.develop a host of prestigious, high performance
In 1903 Carl Benz responded to the Mercedesautomobiles. There are numerous notable models
with his new model, the Parsifil. This used aincluding the 770 Grosser launched in 1930 with its
vertical, two cylinder engine to propel the vehiclemassive 8 cylinder, 7.6 litre engine and the
at a top speed of 37mph.fantastic W25 racer with a top speed of 200
Both companies, Daimler and Benz, were awaremph.
of the promotional advantages of motor racingSince their inception Mercedes-Benz have held a
but, until 1908, Daimler had consistently beatenreputation for quality, performance and durability.
Benz in various challenges. It was in the 1908They have been and continue to be forerunners
French Grand Prix at Dieppe that Benz tookin the development of innovative design features
second and third place behind a Mercedes in asuch as the safety cage, rear crumple zones and
race that was attended by tens of thousands ofanti-lock brakes. The future of the Mercedes
spectators.brand looks secure as they continue their active
This land-mark race was held on a public roadresearch and development into fuel-economy and
course that covered nearly 50 miles. Drivers werealternative energy sources for automobiles.
required to cover 10 laps with a total race