Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes History

The name Mercedes originates from the 3rd child of Emil and Rachel Jellinek. It is a Spanish Christian name which means 'grace'. The meaning of grace in English, amongst others definitions, is charm and elegance and that is exactly what each Mercedes model has.

As a businessman and an inventor himself Emil Jellinek had interest in automobiles and travelled from Stuttgart where he lived, to Cannstatt to meet with Gottlieb Daimler, of Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft. Over the years that followed Jellinek purchased a number of Daimler vehicles. In 1898 he ordered a Daimler Phoenix with a four cylinder engine and entered in the tour de Nice. Emil continued to enter in the automobile competitions under the name Mercedes and won his first Tour de Nice in 1899.

Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft continually improved on the design making the model lower and faster. Emil Jellinek thought the new design was better and put in an order of thirty six cars but on the conditions that Jellinek was the sole agent for Austria-Hungary, France and America and that the vehicles must be named Mercedes after his daughter. The contract was worth a substantial amount to Daimler so this arrangement was agreed. In 1902 a trademark was taken out on Mercedes as the name caught on so well.

Daimler and Benz between the two companies built the first motorcycle, the first diesel powered truck, the first truck, the first bus and the first internal combustion powered boat. The Daimler engines were in the first successful aircraft. The basis of these particular ways of transport is represented by the three pointed star, on land, on the sea and in the air.

In 1923 Ferdinand Porsche helped to develop the supercharged Mercedes Benz SS and SSK.

Through the years of Mercedes, models include:
Daimler Motor Carriage, Benz Viktoria, Benz Spider, Mercedes Race Car, 20/35 PS Landaulet, 22/40 HP, Grand Prix Race Car, Knight 16/45, 10/40/65 HP, Targa Florio, 630, S 26/120/180, SSK 27/170/225, 460 Nurburg, 770, 500K, 150, 540K, W125 Formula Race Car, 170V, W165 Formula Race Car, 170S, 190 SL, 300D, 300 SL, 230 SL, 660 and 280 SE to name but a few.

More recent models are:
A Class, C Class, E Class, G Class, M Class, S Class, SL Class, SLK Class, CL Class, CLK Class, V Class and Vaneo.

Other manufactures who have worked with Mercedes are Cosworth who breathed on the 190 engine, AMG and Brabus which are companies that tailor the cars into something special. An example that springs to mind of AMG is the awesome CL55 which is used as a Formula 1 Safety Car with a tuned V8 engine, that accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in just 6 seconds.

R. Forster
25-8-03

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