The History of Mercedes- Benz

Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz were born only 60 miles apart in southern Germany. Daimler was born March 17, 1834. A decade later,  on November 25, Carl Benz was born.

Although they grew up with little in common, both boys were fascinated by machines from an early age. Because their approach to building cars was quite different, it is doubtful, though, that they met or even knew what the other was doing.

In 1886, Carl Benz built a motorized tricycle. His first four-wheeler, the Victoria, was built in 1893. The first production car was the 1894 Benz Velo which participated in the first recorded car race, the Paris-Rouen race. In 1895, Benz built his first truck.

In 1886, Gottlieb Daimler literally built a horseless carriage. In 1888 Daimler made a business deal with William Steinway (of piano fame) to produce Daimler's products in the US. From 1904 until a fire in 1907, Steinway produced Mercedes passenger cars, Daimler's light trucks, and his engines on Long Island.

Ironically, history says Daimler, generally considered to be the father of modern automobiles  never liked to drive, if, indeed he ever learned to drive.   On March 6, 1990, Daimler died, leaving control of his company to his chief engineer Wilhelm Mayback.

By November 22 of that year, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschat had produced a special car for Emil Jellinek. Jellinek named the car after his ten-year-old daughter Mercedes. Lighter and smaller, the new Mercedes had 35 hp and a top speed of 55 mph!

The 1903 Parsifil was Benz's answer to Mercedes. A two cylinder vertical engine produced a top speed of 37 mph in this car.

Aware of the promotional potential of racing, both Daimler and Benz entered many of them. However, up until 1908, Daimler had overshadowed Benz in racing endeavors. At the 1908 French Grand Prix, Benz took second and third place behind Lautenschlager driving a Mercedes. From that point on, both Benz and Daimler did well in racing.

At the beginning of the first world war, both factories were converted into production sites for war materials, although both resumed producing cars after the war.

Mercedes-Benz from WWTs End to the Mercedes-Benz Merger.

Social unrest and a falling economy characterized post-war Germany. Little or no fuel for cars and a 15% luxury tax made automobile production increasingly disastrous. This market sent Benz and Cie. seeking a strong partner. The only one the board considered worthyof Benz and Cie was DMG.

Thus, in 1919, Karl Jahn, a Benz board member since 1910, approached Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschat about a possible merger. The merger attempt looked promising, then was abandoned in December of 1919.

The German economy continued to worse and a new Benz automobile eventually cost 25 million marks.

Although nearly 15 million cars were registered in the world in 1923, over 80% of them were registered in the US and over 1/2 were Fords. Benz and Cie. built 1,382 cars in 1923 while DMG only built 1,020. German auto makers were at a low point although racing success for the companies continued.

In 1924, from sheer economic necessity, Benz and DMG signed an "Agreement of Mutual Interest." Although both companies retained their identities, the agreement was valid until the year 2000. The two companies merged with relative ease on June 28, 1926.

Mercedes-Benz from the Mercedes-Benz Merger Through the 20 s

A symbol was chosen for the combined products of DMG and Benz. The new insignia was a three-pointed star wreathed with laurel. The word "Mercedes" was at the top and the word "Benz" was at the bottom.

Then merger did the new company well. Production of Mercedes-Benz rose to 7,918 Mercedes-Benz automobiles in 1927. The Mercedes-Benz diesel truck was put into production in 1927, also.

The first two automobiles to sport the Mercedes-Benz name were the Stuttgart and the Mannheim. Then in 1928 the Mercedes SS was introduced by Mercedes-Benz. This graceful body was made possible by a hood line that barely cleared the engine.

Mercedes- Benz 1930 and beyond for Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz launched their biggest and most prestigious car to date in 1930. The 770 Grosser was powered by an 8 cylinder, 7.6 liter engine. A car for the truly wealthy of the world, it was quite an automobile for showing off in a world economy still reeling from the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

The cars of the 1930s produced great racing success for Mercedes-Benz. The silver metal bodywork gave rise to the name Silver Arrows when the W25 racer (of Rudolph Caracciola fame) had the white paint removed to lower its weight.

W125 (200 mph top speed) won seven out of thirteen races in 1937 followed by the successful W154. In 1939 Mercedes-Benz built a small V8 races specifically to win the Tripoli GP  It did win!

The Mercedes-Benz 170V gave Mercedes the capability of surviving and then recovering from WW II.

Mercedes-Benz Classics produced from 1930 - 1970.

Mercedes Benz Type	Production: Years	Length: Inches	Weight: Pounds
Mercedes-Benz 770 Grosser	1930-37	210	6000+
Mercedes-Benz 380K/500K/540K	1933-1939	185-205	4500-5100
Mercedes-Benz 770 Grosser	1938-1940	246	7600-8100
Mercedes-Benz Type 300	1951-1962	195	3860-4400
Mercedes-Benz Type 300S/Sc	1952-1958	186	3600
Mercedes-Benz 300SL	1954-1963	180	2750-3000
Mercedes-Benz 190SL	1955-1963	169	2515
Mercedes-Benz Coupe/Cabriolet	1959-1971	192	3330-3650
Mercedes-Benz Type 600	1963-1980	218-246	5445-5820
Mercedes-Benz 230/250/280SL	1963-1971	169.5	2855-2900
Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.3	1967-1972	196.9	4010

Models of Mercedes Benz Cars in India

With the aim to serve the customers in India with the latest products and technological excellence from the Mercedes-Benz, Daimler Chrysler entered the Indian market and set up Mercedes-Benz India Ltd. way back in 1994. In January 2000, Mercedes-Benz E-Class (W 210), 'Top of the line' E 240 Petrol and E 220 CDI Diesel versions were launched with several advanced technology and mentionable, high end features. It has a long-term commitment to the Indian market and has full support of its parent company for its future plans in India.