Mercedes Benz History

The line of Mercedes-Benz vehicles are a natively manufactured German product and currently are a division of Daimler AG. The history of this well-known, respected brand began in the late 1880s when the co-founders capitalized on the invention of the high-speed engine.

Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz were both born in Germany in the 1800s and both boys grew up with a love of machinery. Carl Benz built a motorized tricycle and a four-wheeled vehicle called the Victoria in the late 1880s and early 1890s. Carl's 1894 Benz Velo was his first production car and it competed in the first-ever recorded car race, between Paris and Rouen in France.

Gottlieb Daimler wanted to produce his automobiles in the United States, so in 1888, he struck up a deal with William Steinway to do so. In 1904, production ensued in Long Island, New York. Steinway continued to produce Mercedes autos and Daimler trucks until a fire in 1907 burned down the factory. Rumor has it that Daimler, while considered the father of the modern auto, did not care for driving and never even learned how!

Before Daimler was even able to see the first set of car produced in the United States, he died. His company was left in control of Wilhelm Mayback, the chief engineer of the company. The name Mercedes was chosen for a new car that was made especially for Emil Jellinek, a wealthy European businessman and a board member of the Daimler-Mortoren-Gesellshaft company. Emil named the car after his daughter Adrienne, whose nickname was Mercedes (meaning gift).

In 1926, the Benz Company and Daimler Company merged to become Daimler-Benz. The first Mercedes-Benz was introduced that same year. Mercedes-Benz has long been recognized as an innovative automobile manufacturer, coming out with prestige body styles as well as safety features and technological improvements.

The Mercedes-Benz epitomizes prestige and wealth, and represents a quality made vehicle. The distinctive registered trademark of Mercedes-Benz, the three-pointed star, symbolizes their ambition of universal motorization. In 1909, both the three-pointed and four-pointed stars were registered as trademarks; the three-pointed star is the only one that has ever been used.

In 1930, as people are trying to recover from the stock market crash, Mercedes-Benz introduces a 6000-pound car with a 7.6-liter V8 engine. This car, the 770 Grosser, was manufactured for 13 years, and used mostly as a state car. It is best known as the automobile of high-ranking Nazi officials such as Hilter and Göring. 1936 brought the Mercedes-Benz 260 D, their first diesel car. The 260 D was a full-size, 4-door sedan that came with a three-speed gearbox and overdrive. From 1937 forward, it came with a four-speed gearbox with synchromesh.

Racing vehicles were always a passion for Mercedes-Benz and the 30s proved to be a great decade of successful races. The W25 raced was nicknames the Silver Arrow when racer Rudolph Caracciola removed the white paint to decrease the weight of the car. Quality and durability have always been top goals for Mercedes-Benz. Quality ratings have always been at the top of the stack with the exception of a few years between the late 1990s and early 2000s. Mercedes-Benz rose from 25th to 5th place in 2007 and even surpassed Toyota.