Historical Gaze at Mercedes-Benz
The Founder’s Ideals and Inventions
Karl Benz and Gottlieb Gottlieb Daimler is the inventor of the automobile and the founder of the oldest automobile manufacturing company in the world. Nearly 120 years ago, Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler changed the world with their innovative inventions and ushered in a new era of personal transportation.
On January 29, 1886, Carl Benz’s car obtained the Imperial Patent Certificate (Patent No.: 37435), which marked the realization of Carl Benz’s personal ideal: the first vehicle and engine. Once forming the overall concept of perfect integration. The history of human transportation has since opened a new chapter. The first car in the history of the automobile industry weighed less than 300 kilograms, of which the engine weighed more than 100 kilograms. Just weeks later, Gottlieb Daimler was also patented for his four-wheeled automobile. Consistent with the ideal of comprehensive motorization on "land, sea and air", Gottlieb Daimler soon applied the Daimler 188 single-cylinder engine assembled on this four-wheeled car to On airships and motorboats.
This exhibition introduces the two founders of Mercedes-Benz and displays historical photos of their families, the early workshops where they worked, and the companies they later led. amp; Cie) and Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft. In addition, the exhibition also displays busts of the two founders, Karl Benz's patented car, and Daimler's 188 single-cylinder engine, nicknamed the "Grandfather Clock."
Origin of the brand name: Emil Jellinek and motorsport
Austrian businessman Emil Jellinek was a customer of Daimler AG , he used his daughter's name "Mercedes" (a female name in Spanish) as the name of the car customized for him by Daimler Automobile Company. In 1901, the 35-horsepower "Mercedes" car achieved a breakthrough in the "modern automobile". This 'Mercedes' car was an outstanding novelty for its time, incorporating numerous innovations including a powerful engine with honeycomb radiator, long wheelbase and low center of gravity. Emil Jelinek brought the 35-horsepower "Mercedes" car to the track and succeeded. Soon, the name "Mercedes" began to spread. In 1902, "Mercedes" gained legal protection as a trademark. In the same year, Daimler Automobile AG launched the Mercedes "Simplex" series; the "Simplex" series was not only equipped with more powerful engines, but also easier to maneuver. The 35-horsepower Mercedes "Simplex" produced in 1907 and exhibited at this exhibition is a typical representative of that time.
Unlike the original Simplex model, the spur-gear camshaft drive of the 35-horsepower model shown here is initiated from the middle rather than from the end of the crankshaft. In addition, it met the standards of simplicity and durability: four cylinders, three crankshaft bearings, two transverse camshafts, T-shaped transverse valves and twin spark plug ignition.
Top quality - one-time manufacturing and mass production
In response to increasing competitive pressure from the United States, Mercedes-Benz decided to develop popular small and medium-displacement cars in 1910 car. On this basis, the company management held a competition among employees to encourage them to design small cars. Karl Ketterer designed the new model in his spare time, and it was approved, and the company finally decided to produce 1,000 cars with an output of 8/18 horsepower a year later. The car quickly became a huge success and prompted Mercedes-Benz to continue developing new models.
In 1912, the successor model 8/20 horsepower Benz made its debut and was known as the "Silent Benz" with its smooth running engine.
However, as the 1913 "Snake Car" in this exhibition shows, the 8/20 hp Mercedes-Benz car also had room for highly personalized configurations, such as the "Snake Car" on the right front side. The snake-shaped horn design makes it known as the "Snake Car". "Snake Car" elegantly embodies the fusion between Mercedes-Benz's standardized quality and customized equipment. Like its predecessor, the 8/20-horsepower Mercedes-Benz was a mass-produced car.
Innovative Technology: Supercharged Engine
The 28/95 hp Mercedes was the first "luxury" sedan in the years before and after World War I , this car has always been in a leading position in the automobile industry. The 28/95 hp Mercedes car is one of the best cars in terms of innovative technology, including an overhead camshaft driven by a vertical shaft, cylinders arranged in pairs and welded cooling sets as well as V-shaped top valves. It used a 6-cylinder engine developed by Paul Daimler based on the powerful and lightweight aeroengine produced by the company at the time, with an output of up to 95 horsepower and a top speed of 138 km/h. Thanks to innovative engine technology, the 28/95 horsepower Mercedes car has become the winning model in many car competitions and is known as the "winner's car". Later, after extensive trials, the model was fitted with a supercharged engine.
The victory at the 1922 Targa Florio event marked the beginning of the glorious success of Daimler AG and later Mercedes-Benz AG with supercharged engine cars.
Two mergers - one global group
In the post-World War I period of inflation and sales depression, only companies with strong financial resources and superior brands could survive. came down, but these companies also had to cooperate. Benz AG and Daimler AG formed a syndicate in 1924 and merged into Daimler-Benz AG in 1926. In 1998, Germany's Daimler-Benz and the American Chrysler merged to form the globally operating Daimler-Chrysler Group. The independent brands of Mercedes-Benz, smart and Maybach under the Mercedes Car Group are important pillars of the new DaimlerChrysler Group.
Design and aerodynamics
On the new German Autobahn in the 1930s, many people who aspired to join the ranks of celebrities rode in spacious and comfortable Mercedes- Mercedes Benz 320 car. Among them, the short-wheelbase version of the combination sports car was a small-volume customized product and had been discontinued by 1938. The Mercedes-Benz 320 combination coupé has a stylish and elegant appearance design, which is uniquely charming. The car comes with a folding top that converts into a convertible. The smooth-running 78-horsepower inline six-cylinder engine, as well as the transverse camshaft and transverse valve design, became a typical car engine installation in the 1930s. With its streamlined body design, flexible six-cylinder engine and advanced chassis, the car's average driving speed has been significantly increased. This classic car show features one of these treasures.
In the following decades, Mercedes-Benz refined and perfected the sedan's aerodynamic efficiency through wind tunnel testing, further improving handling safety, fuel economy, and improving reached the maximum speed. Styling also plays an important role in car development: Mercedes-Benz stands for distinctive, expressive and distinguished design.
Mercedes-Benz 600: The pinnacle
In September 1963, after the Mercedes-Benz 600 was unveiled at the Frankfurt International Motor Show, a reporter claimed in a report that " Mercedes-Benz presents the best cars in the world”.
As the perfect combination of dynamics, comfort and nobility, the Mercedes-Benz 600 incorporated the latest engineering technologies of the time, such as hydraulic systems, independent suspension, air suspension and its hydraulically adjustable dampers. Vibrators, ride height adjustment, four compressed air-assisted disc brakes with two calipers per front wheel. In addition, the Mercedes-Benz 600 also has a luxurious interior. It is an ideal official high-end business car and a car favored by users who demand perfection and celebrities.
In addition to the sedan version with 5 to 7 seats, Mercedes-Benz also offers three Pullman versions with 7 to 8 seats, including a rear convertible top sedan. The Mercedes-Benz 600 is also available in bulletproof versions manufactured to special requirements.
The Mercedes-Benz brand still adheres to the credo of its founder: "Striving for excellence and always leading the way" (Karl Benz) and "Pursuing excellence" (Gottlieb Daimler). In the long-term future, highly creative technological innovation will continue this tradition, thus driving Mercedes-Benz to new glory.