Tidslinje Daimler Benz Maybach

1880s

1883

15. august: The Kurtz bell-foundry in Stuttgart supplies Gottlieb Daimler with cast-iron components for his first horizontal internal combustion engine. The first experimental high-speed engine with hot tube ignition is tested.

1. oktober: Together with businessman Max Kaspar Rose and commercial agent Friedrich Wilhelm Eßlinger, Karl Benz forms "Benz & Co. Rheinische Gasmotorenfabrik, Mannheim" as a general commercial partnership.

16. og 23. Desember: Gottlieb Daimler takes out patents to protect first the "gas engine with hot tube ignition" and, a week later, the "regulation of engine speed by controlling the exhaust valve". The two patents, No. DRP 28022 and No. DRP 28243, provide the basis for the world's first high-speed combustion engine.

1885

3. april: Gottlieb Daimler registers an engine with vertical cylinder as a patent. Daimler has developed the unit jointly with Maybach on the basis of his 1883 horizontal test engine. The engine, registered as Patent No. DRP 34926, represents a new type of design, as the crankshaft and flywheel are enclosed in an oil and dust-proof crankcase.

29. august: Gottlieb Daimler is granted a patent for the "riding car" with a "gas or petroleum engine" (No. DRP 36423). The test vehicle, producing 0.5 hp, becomes the world's first motorcycle. I November Adolf Daimler, one of Gottlieb Daimler's sons, completes the first journey from Cannstatt to Untertürkheim, reaching speeds of up to 12 km/h.

Oktober: Karl Benz test-drives the first model of his three-wheeled motor car in Mannheim.

1886

29. januar: Karl Benz registers his three-wheeler "vehicle with gas engine" as a patent. Patent No. DRP 37435 effectively becomes the "birth certificate" of the automobile.

8. mars: Gottlieb Daimler orders a carriage from "Wilhelm Wimpff & Sohn" in Stuttgart. Later that year his high-speed engine is fitted into the carriage at Maschinenfabrik Esslingen - thus creating the first Daimler four-wheeled motor vehicle.

25. mars: Gottlieb Daimler is granted Patent DRP 36811 for his surface carburetor. July 3: The "Neue Badische Landeszeitung" regional newspaper reports on the first public demonstration of the three-wheeler developed by Karl Benz, which takes place on the Mannheim ring road.

5. september: The local Mannheim newspaper ("Generalanzeiger der Stadt Mannheim") carries a lengthy report about the motor car developed by Karl Benz and announces that "Herr Benz now intends to commence building such vehicles."

Oktober / November: The marine engine registered by Daimler under Patent No. DRP 39367 allows the first public tests on the River Neckar and Waldsee Lake near Baden-Baden to go ahead. Benz purchases a 4,000 square meter site in Mannheim's Waldhofstraße for the purpose of setting up manufacturing operations.

1887

Vår: Karl Benz sells one of his first three-wheeler motor cars to Emile Roger, Paris. 27. september: Gottlieb Daimler presents a miniature tram at the Cannstatt People's Festival. The vehicle is powered by a 1-cylinder Daimler engine and plies between Wilhelmsplatz and the Kursaal. Oktober: Gottlieb Daimler presents his motor draisienne to the public in Baden-Baden. Karl Benz completes construction of his first motor boat. At the same time Gottlieb Daimler tries out his motor boat on the River Neckar. Gottlieb Daimler purchases a 3,000 square meter factory site with warehouse at 67 Ludwigstraße on Seelberg Hill in Cannstatt. This marks the end of his experiments in the summer-house (now the Daimler Memorial) of his villa in Taubenheimstrasse.

1888

Vår: French engineer and designer Emile Roger is granted exclusive distribution rights in France for vehicles and engines from Benz & Co. in Paris. 29. juli: Gottlieb Daimler registers his "self-propelling fire pump" at the Imperial Patent Office (No. DRP 46779). The first test model with a 1 hp one-cylinder engine is followed by a 4 hp two-cylinder variant, which causes quite a stir when it is exhibited at the German Fire Brigade Conference in Hanover. August: Bertha Benz, together with her two sons Eugen and Richard, undertakes the first long-distance journey in automotive history. She drives an 1888 model Benz patent motor car (three-wheeler) from Mannheim to Pforzheim via Heidelberg, Bruchsal and Durlach, returning via Bretten and Bruchsal. 10. august: Leipzig bookseller Dr. Friedrich Hermann Wölfert sets off from Seelberg Hill to Kornwestheim in an airship powered by a Daimler 1-cylinder engine producing 4 hp at 535 rpm.

12. september: At the Munich "Exhibition of Engines and Working Machines" Karl Benz gives a public demonstration of his patent motor car, and is awarded the Gold Medal for his new design.

29. september: After acquiring the necessary Daimler patents for the USA, piano manufacturer William Steinway sets up the "Daimler Motor Company" on Long Island, New York.

1889

Gottlieb Daimler presents his new 2-cylinder V-engine, which produces 1.5 hp at 600 rpm. The two cylinders are arranged at an angle of 17° to each other. This type of engine is used in particular for powering small, two-seater vehicles and is granted Patent DRP 50839 on June 9, 1889. The 2-cylinder engine is also installed in the "steel-wheeled motor car" designed by Daimler and Maybach, which, for the first time, incorporates a four-speed toothed-wheel gearbox. At the Paris World Exhibition, at which a Benz patent motor car is also exhibited, Daimler presents his 2-cylinder V-engine and the "steel-wheeled motor car". This marks the birth of the French automobile industry. 12. desember 12: After signing license agreements with Daimler, the French company Panhard & Levassor delivers one of the first Daimler engines built in France to Barcelona.

1890s

1890

Spring: Wilhelm Maybach designs the first 4-cylinder four-stroke engine. Weighing 153 kg and producing 5 hp at 620 rpm, it is destined for use in boats. November 28: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) is officially recorded by a notary in Stuttgart. Gottlieb Daimler, Max v. Duttenhofer and Wilhelm Lorenz had already signed a preliminary contract on March 14. Benz & Co. starts series production of marine engines. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft collaborates with Maschinenfabrik Esslingen in testing 10-20 hp engines to power the railway system.

1891

11. februar: Wilhelm Maybach leaves Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft but continues to work on the development of engines and automobiles, at first using his home as a workshop. March 2: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft is recorded in the Commercial Register of Companies. William Steinway's "Daimler Motor Co." starts to manufacture America's first working motor car engine under license in Hartford, Connecticut/USA, according to Gottlieb Daimlers original blueprints. Karl Benz embarks on the design of the four-wheeled "Victoria" car - turning his back on the three-wheeled design used hitherto.

1892 13. september 13: Wilhelm Maybach applies for patents on his belt drive with gearchange (Patent DRP 68492, 70577, 75069) and flywheel cooling (Patent DRP 70260). The patents are granted between May 1893 and May 1894 and the inventions incorporated into the "Belt-driven Car". October: On behalf of his business partner Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach rents the garden room of the former Hotel Hermann in Cannstatt, where he, twelve workers and five apprentices continue their design work. The first development is the "Phoenix" engine. This has two parallel cylinders cast in one block and a camshaft for controlling the exhaust valves. The "Phoenix" is later used both for road vehicles and for ships and airships.

1893 28. february : Benz is granted Patent No. DRP 73515 for a double-pivot steering system by the Imperial Patent Office and shortly afterwards starts to construct four-wheeled "Victoria" cars. May 26: British businessman Frederick Richard Simms founds "Daimler Motor Syndicate Ltd." in London. Although the company does not, at first, manufacture its own vehicles, this event marks the birth of the British automobile industry. May 1 - October 31: At the World Exhibition in Chicago, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft presents the first fully operational automobile to be shown publicly in the USA. The model exhibited is a modified version of the "steel-wheeled motor car". Gottlieb Daimler visits the World Exhibition during his honeymoon with his second wife, Lina. Wilhelm Maybach develops the spray jet carburetor - the precursor to the modern carburetor.

1894 The Benz "Velo" ("Velocipede") patent motor car becomes the world's first series production automobile. July 16 - 22 / August 22 - 31: Theodor von Liebieg undertakes the first long-distance journey in the history of motoring in his Benz "Victoria". The 939 km route starts from Reichenberg in Bohemia and continues via Mannheim to Gondorf, on the river Mosel. July 22: The first car race (as a reliability test) is held between Paris and Rouen. There are 21 starters, of which 15 complete the course. 9 of the vehicles involved are equipped with Panhard-Levassor engines under license from Daimler and one is a Benz 3 hp "Vis-à-Vis". October 10: Gottlieb Daimler temporarily leaves Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and officially relinquishes his shares in the company. He and Wilhelm Maybach continue their work designing automobiles in the Hotel Hermann in Cannstatt.

1895 March 18: The world's first motor powered omnibus, ordered on December 19, 1894 and manufactured by Benz & Co. in Mannheim, goes into service between the villages of Siegen, Netphen and Deuz. However, adverse weather conditions combined with technical problems lead to the service being discontinued in December that year. November 2: The first motor car race in the USA takes place over a distance of 92 miles between Chicago and Vaukegan and back to Chicago. Out of the two competitors only Oscar Mueller - in a Benz - completes the race. November 21: With the participation of Henry Lawson, "Daimler Motor Syndicate, Ltd." becomes "British Motor Syndicate, Ltd." with capital of £ 150,000. The new company acquires the British Daimler and Maybach patents for 350,000 Marks. Fredrick Simms made it a pre-condition of the transaction that Daimler and Maybach return to Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft by November 8. December 21: Delivery of the 1,000th Daimler engine is celebrated with a ceremony in Daimler's garden.

1896 January 14: Henry Lawson founds "Daimler Motor Company Ltd." which acquires the rights for the use of the Daimler patents from "British Motor Syndicate, Ltd." and starts production in Coventry in May the following year. This is the oldest automobile plant in Great Britain. April 2: Benz & Co. open a branch in Stuttgart. June 26: Haulage contractor Friedrich Greiner orders a Daimler "Victoria" equipped with a taximeter in order to operate a "Motorized Carriage Service" in Stuttgart - the world's first motorized taxi service. October 1: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in Cannstatt delivers its first truck with a 2-cylinder, 4 hp engine and a 1,500 kg payload to "British Motor Syndicate, Ltd." in London. Karl Benz develops the first "Delivery Car" based on a Velo chassis.

1897 Summer: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft presents the "Phoenix" car, the company's first vehicle with the engine located at the front end. This four-wheeled motorized carriage has a 2-cylinder Phoenix engine generating 4 hp, a tube radiator and a four-speed toothed-wheel gear change. June 16: Friedrich Greiner takes delivery of a Daimler "Victoria" equipped with a taximeter. It is the world's first motorized taxi. Benz & Co. develops the first 2-cylinder "contra" engine with horizontally opposed cylinders. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft develops a commercial vehicle range entitled "Daimler Business Car". It embraces 5 types of engine with 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10 hp designed for payloads of 500, 800, 1,200 and 2,000 kg. In Berlin the first German Automobile Club - the "Mitteleuropäischer Motorwagen Verein" - is founded. Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz are among the co-founders. Austro-Hungarian businessman Emil Jellinek receives his first Daimler vehicle, which he had ordered during a visit to Cannstatt. He soon becomes involved in selling Daimler cars and calls on Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft to supply him faster cars with increasingly powerful engines.

1898 June 13 - July 3: At the Motor Show in Paris Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach present a new generation of trucks for 5 ton payloads. They have a longitudinal four-stroke engine at the front under a bonnet, with toothed-wheel gears and rear-wheel drive. July 21 - 25: A Daimler belt-driven car fitted with Bosch low voltage magneto ignition undertakes a five-day test drive through the Austrian Alps. The electric ignition is subsequently built into several DMG trucks. The experience gained through these developments soon clears the way for the replacement of the hot tube ignition system hitherto characteristic of Daimler engine construction. August: "Daimler Manufacturing Company", in which "General Electric Co." has a significant holding, is founded in Long Island City, New York and takes over the business activities of "Daimler Motor Company". September 12: The world's first four-cylinder road vehicle, a Daimler "Phoenix" Phaeton, is delivered to Emil Jellinek. The 2.1 liter "Phoenix" engine designed by Maybach delivers 8 hp at 720 rpm. October 2: A Daimler motor omnibus with seating for ten passengers and powered by a 10 hp, 2-cylinder engine, goes into service between Künzelsau and Mergentheim (in the federal state of Württemberg). The private omnibus service is also commissioned to deliver the post along the 30 km route. Thus it becomes the first motorized postal service in Germany, though it is forced out of action again in July 1899. November 3: In Marienfelde, near Berlin, an engineering company founded by Adolf Altmann in 1879 is converted into a public company operating under the name "Motorfahrzeug- und Motorenfabrik Berlin AG". It manufactures motor cars, omnibuses and commercial vehicles under license from Daimler. In 1902 it becomes the Berlin-Marienfelde branch of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft presents its first omnibus range to the public with four basic models: 4, 6, 8 or 10 hp engines for 6 to 16 passengers. For the first time a Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft truck is equipped with a Bosch low-tension magneto ignition. This soon results in the disappearance of the hot tube ignition system which had been characteristic of Daimler engines hitherto.

1899 January 2: Despite rainstorms and soft road surfaces, two Benz cars are the first finishers in the long-distance race between Frankfurt and Cologne. February 17: The first Daimler engine designed for the Graf Zeppelin airship is delivered. The 4.4 liter four-cylinder all-alloy engine (model N) delivers 15 hp at 700 rpm. March 21: Wilhelm Bauer wins the 85 km touring race from Nice to Magagnone and back in a 24 hp, two-seater Daimler Phoenix at an average speed of 34.7 km/h. He is, however, not successful in the speed race or the Nice-La Turbie hill climb. Emil Jellinek, who had registered the Daimler driven by Bauer under his pseudonym "Mercédès", subsequently insists on building a completely new car in Cannstatt which will guarantee victory the following year. May 8: Benz & Co. (OHG) becomes "Benz & Cie. Rheinische Gasmotorenfabrik AG Mannheim". In addition to Karl Benz, Julius Ganß, as a member of the Board, becomes commercial manager. On June 8 the firm is recorded in the Commercial Register of Companies. Production of the first Daimler engine (N series) for a Zeppelin airship (LZ 1) marks the start of a successful period of developing airship engines. The "Österreichische Daimler-Motoren-Kommanditgesellschaft Bierenz, Fischer & Co., Wiener-Neustadt" is set up to represent DMG in Austria-Hungary. Its own production activities are relatively modest and confined to assembling delivered components.

1900s

1900

March 6: Gottlieb Daimler dies at the age of 65 in Cannstatt. March 26-30: Competing in the Nice Week racing festival are several newly designed 24 hp Daimler Phoenix racing cars. Emil Jellinek enters two cars registered, as in the previous year, under his pseudonym "Mercédès". During the Nice-La Turbie hill race, company driver Wilhelm Bauer in "Mercédès I" is killed when he comes out of a bend and drives straight into a wall. Co-driver Hermann Braun, who had already turned over "Mercédès I" during the Nice-Marseilles race, escapes unhurt. The tragic incident causes Jellinek to call for the development of a lighter vehicle with a longer wheelbase and lower center of gravity. April 2: In Monaco, Emil Jellinek sets up a company for selling Daimler cars and engines. That same month he orders 36 vehicles in Cannstatt for a total price of 550,000 goldmarks - on condition that he is granted exclusive rights to market them under the name of "Mercedes" in Austria-Hungary, France, Belgium and the USA. On June 8, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft confirms his order. August 14: A contract is signed with the municipality of Untertürkheim for Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft to purchase a 185,000 square meter site on which to build a new plant. September 20: Introduction of the honeycomb radiator (DRP 122 766) - based on the tube radiator introduced by Wilhelm Maybach in 1895. It represents a crucial step towards improving the performance of motor car engines. October: The first examples of the "Paul Daimler Car" are produced at DMG. The small 8 hp two-cylinder car, designed between 1899 and 1900 by Paul Daimler, the oldest son of the company's founder, is only produced in small numbers. November 22: First successful testing of the 35 hp "Mercedes" car. A month later, on December 22, the first car is dispatched to Emil Jellinek in Nice. A workers' relief fund is set up at Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft. In addition to stationary engines, Benz & Cie. delivers 603 automobiles, of which 341 go to customers abroad. This makes it the world's biggest automobile factory.

1901 March 25 - 29: A 35 hp Mercedes wins the Nice - Salon - Nice race (distance: 392 km). At the wheel is company driver Wilhelm Werner, who also wins the Nice-La Turbie hill race at an average speed of 51.4 km/h. The new car is so successful that Paul Meyan, secretary general of the French automobile club, subsequently wrote: "Nous sommes entrés dans l'ère Mercédès" (We have entered the Mercedes era). September 27: Wilhelm Kress makes the first experimental flights in a seaplane fitted with a 35 hp four-cylinder Mercedes engine. This is the first ever flying machine fitted with an internal combustion engine. September: Negotiations take place in America on starting up production of Mercedes cars. December: Mercedes' success in America prompts millionaires like Rockefeller, Astor, Morgan, Taylor and others to purchase 40 hp Mercedes cars.

1902 January 1: The "Österreichische Daimler-Motoren-Kommanditgesellschaft Bierenz, Fischer & Co., Wiener-Neustadt" is taken over by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and continues to trade as a subsidiary. July 29: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft takes over "Motorfahrzeug- und Motorenfabrik Berlin AG" (MMB) in Berlin-Marienfelde and continues to operate it as a branch. September 26: The trademark "Mercedes" is officially registered after having been filed on June 23. Summer: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft introduces the Mercedes "Simplex" 18/22 hp, 28/32 hp, 40/45 hp and 60/70 hp. "Simplex" indicates "simplified", and the vehicle has a lighter engine and lower consumption of cooling water than its 1900/01 predecessors. November 27: "G. F. Milnes & Co., Ltd.", London, in which "Motorfahrzeug- und Motorenfabrik Berlin AG" has an 80 % holding, is renamed "Milnes-Daimler Ltd." after the merger of MMB and DMG and acquires the sole distribution rights for DMG for the whole of the British empire. December 10 - 25: At the Paris Motor Show, Benz & Cie. presents the Benz "Parsifal" 8/10 hp. This vehicle has a 2-cylinder engine located in front of the driver's seat and a cardan drive-shaft. This marks the final departure from rear mounted engines and belt drives.

1903 January 19: The first vertical 4-cylinder engine built by Benz & Cie. leaves the test bench in Mannheim ready for installation. January 24: Karl Benz leaves Benz & Cie, but the same year is nominated to the Supervisory Board, which he continues to be a member of until 1927 - even after the merger to form Daimler-Benz. Spring: "Società Italiana dei Motori Daimler" is founded in Milan. The company acts as a repair workshop and takes over sales of those DMG products, which are not covered by Jellinek's sole distribution rights. June 9/10: A major fire in Cannstatt destroys about 90 finished and unfinished vehicles, including three 90 hp racing cars intended for use in the Gordon Bennett Race. July 2: Belgian driver Camille Jenatzy wins the 4th Gordon Bennett Race in Ireland in a 60 hp Mercedes. The car belongs to American enthusiast Clarence G. Dinsmore from New York, who made it available to Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft for the race following the fire in Cannstatt. August 30 - September 4: The German boat "Mercedes", fitted with a 40 hp Mercedes Simplex engine, clocks up its first foreign success in the first race from Paris to the sea. Mercedes wins all of the 6 stages covering a total distance of over 322 kilometers. December: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft starts up its first production facility in its newly-constructed Untertürkheim plant.

1904 January: A 90 hp Mercedes racing car driven by W. K. Vanderbilt jun. breaks the absolute world record for the mile in Ormond-Daytona Bay, Florida/USA with a speed of 148.5 km/h. March: King Edward VII of England takes delivery of an 18/24 hp Mercedes car. March: "Ateliers Mercédès-Daimler S.A." is established in Puteaux, near Paris. The company is to act as a repair workshop and sales outlet for products not covered by the sole distribution rights held by Jellinek. May 26: The administration of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft moves from Cannstatt to the new plant in Untertürkheim. The move is officially recorded in the Commercial Register of Companies on October 17. November: Following a change in ownership, the Coventry-based "Daimler Motor Company, Ltd." is renamed "Daimler Motor Company (1904), Ltd.". December: "Mercédès Société Francaise d'Automobiles", in which both Emil Jellinek and DMG hold a stake, is founded in Paris. In June 1905 the new company takes over the DMG subsidiaries in Puteaux and Milan and, on January 1, 1906 the distribution rights for Mercedes car and marine engines previously held by Jellinek. Emil Jellinek creates a new sales record for Mercedes with 24 orders from Belgium, 12 from Holland and 150 from England.

1905 January 25: Driving a Mercedes with two 60 hp engines, H. L. Bowden achieves a new world record of 176.5 km/h for a mile with flying start at Daytona Beach, Florida/USA. January 30: In the final run of the USA Ormond Derby, E. R. Thomas, in a 90 hp Mercedes, reaches an average speed of 153.3 km/h over ten miles, a world record. January: The "American Mercedes" is presented at the National Automobile Show in Madison Square Garden, New York. The first Mercedes manufactured in America, produced by "Daimler Manufacturing Company", is essentially a replica of the Mercedes 45 hp built in Untertürkheim. February: The last machine leaves the Cannstatt plant of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft for Untertürkheim. February: Georg Wiß founds the "Süddeutsche Automobilfabrik Gaggenau GmbH" (S.A.G.) in Gaggenau. Fall: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft presents two important innovations in commercial vehicle design: location of the radiator at the front end of the frame and the introduction of cast steel wheels.

1906 July: In Paris two companies are founded in which both Emil Jellinek and DMG hold a stake: "Société des Automobiles Industrielles", in which DMG has a 55 % holding , and "Société Mercédès Electrique", in which DMG holds an 8.5% share. "Société des Automobiles Industrielles" acquires the plant site in Wiener Neustadt, Austria from DMG and the manufacturing licenses for France, Austria-Hungary and the Balkans. "Société Mercédès Electrique" is the brainchild of Jellinek and is to begin production of electric-powered cars according to the Lohner-Porsche system. Following the purchase of the plant in Wiener Neustadt Österreichische Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft is converted into a limited company. September 23: In the 8th Semmering Race (distance: 10 km) Hermann Braun, in a 100 hp Mercedes, sets a new course record with an average speed of 77 km/h. This is Braun's fourth consecutive victory in this top class hill climb. September: "Deutsche Mercedes-Verkaufsgesellschaft GmbH" is established in Frankfurt to handle the increasingly important domestic sales sector. Flinsch & Co., previously the general distributor, "Mercédès Société Francaise d'Automobiles", Paris and "Continental Caoutchouc & Gutta-Percha-Compagnie" all hold equal stakes in the new company. At the end of 1907 DMG takes over the shares held by Flinsch and Continental. October: In Mannheim, "Rheinische Automobil-Gesellschaft AG" is founded to handle sales of Benz automobiles. Benz & Cie. purchases an industrial site on Luzenberg Hill in Mannheim-Waldhof for 1.6 million Marks. Special measures including a reduction of working time to 9 1/2 hours per day result in the need to introduce double shifts in several sections of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft.

1907 February 13: The production plant of "Daimler Manufacturing Company" in New York is gutted in a serious fire that destroys eight completed cars and around 40 others still under construction. Production on this site is never resumed. February 28 - March 12: The "Maja" car constructed by Ferdinand Porsche is presented at the Vienna Motor Show initially only in chassis form. Production of the 28/32 hp car conceived by Emil Jellinek and named after his second daughter begins shortly afterwards at "Österreichische Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft mbH" in Wiener Neustadt. However, Jellinek does not achieve the same level of commercial success with the "Maja" as experienced with the "Mercedes". April 1: Wilhelm Maybach leaves Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft. He is succeeded by Paul Daimler as Head of the Design Office and Technical Manager. Summer: Benz & Cie. acquires "Süddeutsche Automobilfabrik Gaggenau GmbH" in return for its own shares to a value of 350,000 Marks. "Süddeutsche Automobilfabrik Gaggenau" supplies the first self-propelled "Grunewald" fire hose and the first 4-cylinder, 30 hp aero-engine to the German Airship Battalion in Berlin. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft starts production of motorized fire tenders in Berlin-Marienfelde.

1908 March: Mercedes models are fitted with the new Bosch contact-breaking ignition system - which can also be retrofitted in older models on request. April 6: The two Paris-based companies "Société Mercédès Electrique" and "Société des Automobiles Commercielles" are merged into "Österreichische Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft mbH". June 9 - 18: The first Prince Heinrich Tour takes place between Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and Frankfurt. The Benz company driver Fritz Erle takes victory in a Benz 50 hp touring car. July 7: Christian Lautenschlager wins the French Grand Prix in Dieppe in a 140 hp Mercedes. He completes the 769.88 km in 6 hours 55 minutes and 43 seconds - an average speed of 111.1 km/h. Second and third places are taken by Victor Héméry and René Hanriot in Benz cars, and the track record of 126.5 km/h is set by Otto Salzer, also in a 140 hp Mercedes. Fall: The Hungarian company Benz-Automobilfabrik AG is set up to undertake the production of cars, trucks and omnibuses. September 14: The first electrically-driven motorized fire engine is put into service with the Berlin fire brigade. These fire engines are fitted with an electric power train which uses a high-charge electro-battery to drive the front wheels by means of wheel hub motors on the front axle. This type of vehicle was sold under the name "Mercédès-Electrique" and produced at "Österreichische Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft mbH" in Wiener Neustadt. October 12: The Benz plant built at Luzenberg in Mannheim-Waldhof at a cost of 600,000 Marks is officially opened. In the period up to 1909 automobile manufacture is gradually transferred to the new plant. November: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft grants exclusive distribution rights for all its products in England to "Milnes-Daimler Ltd.", London. Benz & Cie.'s new plant on Luzenberg Hill in Mannheim-Waldhof is completed at a total cost of 600,000 Marks and car production is transferred there. Dr. Hans Nibel becomes chief engineer at Benz & Cie.

1909 March 14: Prosper L'Orange takes out a patent on behalf of Benz & Cie. for the pre-chamber injection system he has invented. May 1: Paul Graetz arrives in Swakopmund, German South-West Africa, to complete the first crossing of Africa in an automobile. His specially-designed 35 hp car is constructed at "Süddeutsche Automobilfabrik Gaggenau GmbH" and features a special body built by the Neuss coachworks in Berlin. The 9,500 km journey had begun on August 10, 1907 in Dar-es-Salaam, German East Africa. The construction of a 60 hp, 4-cylinder engine marks Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft's debut in aero-engine manufacture. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft acquires the license for the sleeve-valve engine invented by the American Charles J. Knight.

1910 March 17: At Daytona Beach, Florida/USA, Barney Oldfield, in a 200 hp "Blitzen Benz", covers a mile at an average of 211.4 km/h - a new world record. June 2-8: Benz & Cie. enters a special touring sports car in the third Prince Heinrich Tour. The 100 hp, 7.2 liter 4-cylinder engine is the first four-valve unit constructed at Benz. Fall: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft starts selling the first fire brigade turntable ladders on Daimler chassis. October 3: An extraordinary general meeting at "Birmingham Small Arms Co., Ltd." results in the decision to take over "Daimler Motor Company (1904), Ltd.". Fifty years later the BSA Group sells the English Daimler company to "Jaguar Cars Ltd." based in Coventry. October 7: "Österreichische Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft mbH" is converted into a stock corporation. DMG's stake in the company stands at around 25 %. December 3-18: At the Paris Motor Show DMG presents a Landaulet fitted with a Knight sleeve-valve engine. Series production of the Mercedes Knight 16/40 hp begins in early 1911. December 31: Süddeutsche Automobilfabrik GmbH becomes "Benzwerke Gaggenau GmbH".

1911

Vår: Trading begins in Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft shares on the Stuttgart stock exchange.
April 23.: At Daytona Beach, Florida/USA, Bob Burman in "Blitzen Benz" clocks up an average speed of 228.1 km/h for the mile from a flying start - the highest speed ever achieved by a road vehicle and a world record which remains unbeaten until 1924.

August: I Berlin, Mercedes flymotorer produsert av Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft vinner avstemmingen om beste motorer under den Tyske langdistanse flytesten. Benz & Cie. supplies a new high-performance "Hesselman System", marine diesel engine for the motor-vessel "Fram" used by Roald Amundsen for his Antarctic expedition

1912

Januar: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft supplies a 14/45 hp Mercedes to the Japanese emperor Yoshihito. This becomes the first automobile in the imperial fleet.
Oktober 1: The 4-cylinder FX Benz aero-engine developed by engineer Arthur Berger is presented to the public. 2.: Ralph de Palma wins the Vanderbilt Race in the USA in a 140 hp Mercedes Grand Prix racing car of 1908. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft acquires a site at "Unter den Linden 50/51" in Berlin for sales and exhibition purposes.

1913

January 27. - 27. januar - Benz & Cie. -

Benz & Cie.'s 4-cylinder FX Benz aero-engine is awarded the "Kaiserpreis" (Emperor's prize for the best aero-engine). The FX has a cubic capacity of 9.6 liters and a power rating of 105 hp.

April: DMG - DMG sells its stake in "Österreichische Daimler-Motoren-AG" to "Skoda-Werke AG", based in Plzen, Czechoslovakia. This severs the link between DMG and its former subsidiary.

September 30: The new "Mercedes Palace" opens on Unter den Linden Avenue in the center of Berlin.

Desember 22: On the Brooklands circuit in England, L. G. Hornsted sets two world records in a 200 hp Benz, a modified variant of the "Blitzen Benz", - one for the half mile with standing start (113.8 km/h) and one for the kilometer (118.8 km/h).

1914

May: The first units of the Mercedes 28/95 hp, which embodies the tradition at DMG of particularly exclusive and high-performance cars of the highest caliber, leave the Untertürkheim plant. 25 vehicles are delivered by July 1915. Between1920 and 1924 a further 600 of this essentially unaltered model are built. July 4: Christian Lautenschlager wins the French Grand Prix in Lyon in a 115 hp Grand Prix Mercedes whose 4.5 liter engine has two inlet and two outlet valves per cylinder. Second and third places are taken by Louis Wagner and Otto Salzer in the same type of car. This one-two-three against stiff international competition is also the second time DMG has won one of the most important Grand Prix races on the calendar. Benz builds the first German 12-cylinder aero-engine - the Bz DV - weighing 425 kg and producing 250 hp. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft introduce the 12/32 hp Mercedes which is built up to 1919 and mainly supplied as a field ambulance.

1915

May 31: Ralph de Palma wins the Indianapolis Grand Prix in the USA in a 4.5 liter 115 hp Grand Prix Mercedes. July 6/7: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft acquires sites at Böblingen military airport on which to build an aircraft plant at Sindelfingen. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft acquires sites at Untertürkheim and Marienfelde in order to expand its production facilities. The first twin-engined AEG aircraft is fitted with Benz Bz II 150 hp aero-engines. In order to increase its capacity, Benz & Cie. buys a controlling share in "Marta Ungarische Automobil AG" in Arad, where it starts building aero-engines. It also purchases a stake in "Aviatik-Flugzeugwerke".

1916

September 28: Following negotiations with "Flugzeugbau-Friedrichshafen GmbH" an agreement is signed which allows Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft to build aircraft under license and fit them with Daimler engines. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie. each establish their own apprenticeship department. "Rheinische Automobil-Gesellschaft AG", a sales company for Benz automobiles, and Benz & Cie. merge. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft provides loans of over 5 million Marks to the city of Stuttgart. Aviatik-Flugzeugwerke, which transferred from Freiburg to Leipzig after Benz bought a stake in it, achieves a monthly output of 100 aircraft.

1917

July 1: The Sindelfingen plant is requested to prepare for aero-engine production. The Air Corps inspectors intend to increase production of Mercedes aero-engines and at the same time to decentralize manufacturing operations. Dr. Hans Nibel becomes Deputy Board Member and Wilhelm Kissel is made "Prokurist" [authorized signatory] of Benz & Cie. The Sindelfingen plant is expanded through the acquisition of "Süddeutsche Teppichfabrik". About half the workforce at the Marienfelde plant is involved in truck production. The employee's relief fund set up at Benz & Cie. in 1906 is changed into a relief and pension fund. 1.5 million Marks are also spent on setting up a workers' welfare fund, which is henceforth financed by annual profits. Production of light tanks begins in Untertürkheim - with the engines being supplied from Marienfelde. However, by the end of the First World War a mere 23 tanks have been produced. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft's Berlin-Marienfelde plant - which had produced the first marine diesel engines in 1912 - supplies U-boat engines to the navy. Work begins in Sindelfingen on the first administration building. Initially a one-storey construction, additional floors are added in 1919.

1918

January 1: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft's Sindelfingen plant, which had hitherto been managed from Untertürkheim, becomes an independent operation. March 6: The management of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft is put under military supervision and accused in the civil courts of setting excessively high prices. March: The first Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft production lines in Sindelfingen start to produce aero-engines. A lack of machines means that the first engines are only ready for testing shortly before the end of the war. The eight-hour working day is introduced at Benz & Cie. Fall: A number of test benches for aero-engines are set up at the Sindelfingen plant. December 9: The military authorities drop their accusations of excessively high prices against Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft. Between 1914 and 1918 the workforce employed by Benz & Cie. in Mannheim and Gaggenau expands from 7,700 to over 12,000. The balance sheet total increases from 55 to 107 million Marks.

1919

January: A customer magazine entitled "Daimler-Zeitung" appears for the first time, but ceases in December after only seven editions have been published. March: The Sindelfingen workforce goes on strike in order to achieve an inflation bonus. June 6: The "Daimler-Werkzeitung", edited by cultural philosopher Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, appears. The idea of this in-house publication is to inform the workforce about new ways of economic thinking during these times of far-reaching social and political change. On August 26, 1920, one day after the closure of the Untertürkheim plant, it appears for the last time. November 12: The "Daimler-Werksnachrichten" is published as an information bulletin for employees of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in the Untertürkheim and Sindelfingen factories. It ceases publication in October 1922. In order to make full use of spare capacity at the former aircraft plant in Sindelfingen, vehicle bodies and furniture are produced. During the course of 1919 there are recurrent strikes in all three of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft's factories.

1920

August 25: Following the strike of 1919 in Untertürkheim, there is an escalation of activity by groups of Communist workers, who terrorize their more moderate colleagues and dominate the first statutory Works Council which has just been set up. The government of Württemberg therefore forcibly closes the main plant. September: Production restarts at Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft with a reduced workforce of 4,200. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft trebles its share capital within a period of 8 months to a total of 100 million Marks. In terms of capital resources it is now one of Germany's biggest industrial companies. In order to reduce the risk of excessive foreign control, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and Maschinenfabrik Esslingen exchange preference shares with 16-fold voting rights. Benz issues preference shares with 12-fold voting rights to a value of 2 million Marks and a 10-year blocking period. Benz & Cie. presents a side-tipping truck to the public.

1921 May 29: At the "Targa Florio" in Sicily, Max Sailer wins the "Coppa Florio" for the fastest production car in a 28/95 hp Mercedes. (Distance: 432 km, time: 7 hours 27 minutes 16 seconds, average speed: 57.9 km/h). September 24: Franz Hörner drives a Benz 10/30 hp to victory in the Class X B race (for cars with less than a taxable 10 hp and overhead valves) which heralds the opening of the AVUS race circuit in Berlin. Over a total race length of 157.4 km, he achieves an average speed of 118.1 km/h. September 23 - October 2: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft presents two car models at the Berlin Auto Show - the supercharged 6/20 hp and 10/35 hp. Series production of the - by now more powerful - 6/25/40 hp and 10/40/65 hp does not start until the spring of 1923.

1922 April 2: Graf Masetti wins the Sicilian "Targa Florio" in a 1914 Mercedes Grand Prix model, and Max Sailer wins the production car title in a supercharged 28/95 hp Mercedes. A supercharged 6/25/40 hp Mercedes also competes in the sub-1.5 liter class. This is the first time that supercharged cars have been used in races. June 8: The Benz & Cie. Board of Management commissions an initial test series for pre-chamber diesel engines. The 2-cylinder four-stroke engines produce 25 hp at 800 rpm and are fitted into three Benz-Sendling S 6 motorized ploughs. Testing is so successful that the decision is taken, on March 6, 1923, to produce a series of 100 units. December: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft transfers its headquarters from Untertürkheim to Berlin for tax reasons. Based on the Rumpler "Tropfen-Auto" ("Teardrop car") presented in September 1921 Benz & Cie develop the Type RH "Teardrop car". Although the idea is not pursued for car construction, some of the design features are taken up - for example the independent rear axle.

1923 March 26: "Lissa Maschinenfabrik GmbH" is set up in Untertürkheim to produce typewriters, and shortly afterwards renamed "DMG Büromaschinenfabrik GmbH". The final decision to manufacture typewriters is not made until November 27 by the Board of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft. April 14: The Board of Benz & Cie. in Mannheim decides to start series production of the OB pre-chamber diesel engine. This is the first ever series-produced diesel engine for commercial vehicles. April 30: Ferdinand Porsche takes over the management of the Design Office at Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft as the successor to Adolf Daimler, after the long standing technical manager had moved to the Horch company on January 1. July 19 - 21: Rudolf Caracciola achieves three race victories and the overall classification in the "Touring cars with less than a taxable 6 hp" class of the ADAC Reich Touring Trophy. It is his second competition at the wheel of a Mercedes. August: "Mercedes-Fahrradwerke GmbH" in Berlin-Marienfelde, a subsidiary of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft, starts to produce bicycles under the trade-name of "Mercedes". The first products are available in the shops in January 1924. September 9: The Benz Type RH "Teardrop" racing car achieves considerable success in the European Grand Prix. This is the only achievement resulting from the purchase of the Rumpler licenses. September 28 - October 7: At the Berlin Auto Show, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft presents three operational commercial vehicles with compressed air injection diesel engines. Benz exhibits the "Teardrop" racing car. October 26: Because of rampant inflation, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft is forced to issue its own money in order to make it possible for financial transactions to continue. Other companies as well as various public authorities also issue their own emergency currency during this period. The introduction of the Rentenmark on November 20 finally puts an end to inflation.

1924 April 27: Christian Werner wins the Targa and the Coppa Florio - the first significant successes for the new supercharged racing cars. May 1: Benz & Cie. and Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft form a community of interests. December 10 - 18: The new Mercedes 15/70/100 hp and 24/100/140 hp cars with 6-cylinder supercharged engines are presented at the Berlin Auto Show. Also shown are commercial vehicles with diesel engines equipped with Benz pre-chamber injections systems, compressed air injection systems by Daimler and direct injection systems by MAN.

1925

Benz & Cie. presents a new type of omnibus design - the 2 CNa and 2 CNb series omnibuses with a lower floor. To supplement the work of the apprenticeship department at Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft a three-class company vocational school is set up to train an average of 200 apprentices. The Daimler and Benz community of interests decides in favor of the pre-chamber diesel principle developed by Benz & Cie. rather than Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft's compressed air injection system.

1926

June 28/29: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie. merge to form Daimler-Benz AG. The company's headquarters is in Berlin, with a central administration in Untertürkheim.

July 11: Rudolf Caracciola wins the German Grand Prix on the Avus race circuit in a 2 liter, 8-cylinder "Monza" supercharged racing car (distance: 392.3 km, time: 2 hours 54 minutes 17.8 seconds, average speed: 135.2 km/h). October 29 - November 7: The first joint Daimler-Benz range is presented at the Berlin Auto Show. The newly-created 8/38 hp two liter car and the 12/55 hp three liter car are both given their world premieres. The model "K", successfully involved in touring car racing since July, is also presented. This special short wheelbase car, developed on the basis of the 24/100/140 hp model, is introduced into the standard product range in April 1927. November 25: On his 82nd birthday Karl Benz is granted the freedom of the town of Ladenburg in a special ceremony. The 24/100/140 hp touring car is presented as a special version with a shortened wheelbase under the title of "Model K". Daimler-Benz AG is heavily in debt, with 28 million Reichsmarks (RM) owed to banks.

1927

January 3: Rudolf Caracciola becomes a representative of Daimler-Benz AG in the newly-founded firm of Caracciola & Co. GmbH on the Kurfürstendamm in Berlin. March: In order to pay off bank debts a 6% loan is taken out. Only the Commercial Vehicle Division of Daimler-Benz AG is operating at a profit. May: Daimler-Benz AG starts series production of its OM 5 diesel engine and also launches the new Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle range with the L 1, L 2, L 5 and N 1 and N 2 vehicles. June 19: First involvement of the Mercedes-Benz "S" in the German Grand Prix, the first race to be held on the Nürburgring. S model cars finish first, second and third, Rudolf Caracciola taking the win. The S model is based on the "K" model, the design of which was modified by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche. It has a 6.8 liter engine producing 120 hp (or 180 hp with supercharger). August 13/14: National and International races are held over the Klausen Pass. In the over-5 liter class the first 5 places in the national competition are taken by Mercedes-Benz cars. The winner is Rudolf Caracciola, with the female driver Ernes Merck coming second. In the international competition Mercedes-Benz cars take the first four places, with Caracciola once again victorious. Production ceases at the Marienfelde plant (it continues only as a repair workshop). The coachworks in Sindelfingen starts to produce omnibus bodies.

1928

Spring: Body construction at the Daimler-Benz plant in Sindelfingen moves from individual hand-crafting to series production with the acquisition of a forging press. At the same time presses manufactured by the company "Weingarten" are put into operation for series production of large body panels. June 1: "British Mercedes-Benz Ltd." in London is supplied with its first Mercedes-Benz L 5 diesel truck. Following exhaustive tests by the English magazine "The Commercial Motor" the Royal Automobile Club awards Daimler-Benz the "Dewar Trophy" in September - an annual award for special achievement in the field of truck manufacturing. July 15: A clean sweep of the podium positions is, once again, the order of the day at the Nürburgring circuit: The Rudolf Caracciola / Christian Werner pairing win the German Grand Prix in a Mercedes-Benz "SS". This is a more powerful version of the "S" with a 7 liter engine which produces 140 hp (200 hp with supercharger). In 1930 this is increased to 160/200 hp. October 4 - 14: The Mercedes-Benz "Nürburg" 460 (18/80 hp), the first Mercedes-Benz production car with an 8-cylinder in-line engine, is launched at the Paris Motor Show. November 8-18: The "Stuttgart" 200, a version of the 8/38 hp model revised and further developed by Dr. Hans Nibel, is shown for the first time at the International Automobile and Motorcycle Exhibition in Berlin. From January 1929 it can also be ordered with a 2.6 l engine. A 3.5 liter 14/60 hp variant of the 12/55 hp three liter car is also presented. December 28: "Österreichische Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft AG", the former DMG subsidiary, merges with "Österreichische Flugzeugfabrik AG" and "Puch-Werke Aktiengesellschaft", based in Graz, Austria, to create "Austro-Daimler-Puch Werke Aktiengesellschaft". Automobile production ceases in 1933. Production starts of the Mercedes-Benz OE diesel tractor unit, which is available until 1935 as a road or agricultural tractor unit. It has a horizontal, water-cooled 1-cylinder diesel engine producing 26 hp at 800 rpm. The price, depending on the version, is between RM 6,000 and RM 8,500.

1929

January 1: Hans Nibel, Chief Engineer at Benz & Cie. from 1908 and active from 1925 as an equal partner alongside Ferdinand Porsche in the design office, assumes sole responsibility as Chief Engineer at Daimler-Benz AG after Porsche's departure from the company at the end of 1928. April 4: Dr. h.c. Karl Benz dies at the age of 84 in Ladenburg. August 17: Rudolf Caracciola wins the 410-mile "International Tourist Trophy" in Ireland in a Mercedes-Benz "SS". October: 3-13: The "Nürburg" 460 (W 08) makes its debut at the Paris Motor Show. The model presented is a revised version with more elegant bodywork and a low frame. The "Mannheim" 350 (W 10), an evolution of the 14/60 hp 3.5 l car of 1928, is also shown for the first time. November: Daimler-Benz AG is the only German company to be represented at truck exhibitions not only in London but also in Paris. December 29: Wilhelm Maybach dies in Bad Cannstatt at the age of 83. Exports account for 15% of total turnover. Daimler-Benz AG's truck design offices move to Gaggenau.

1930

July: Technical Manager of the Untertürkheim plant, Dr. Hans Nibel, presents Pope Pius XI with a specially constructed "Nürburg" car. July 18/19: Rudolf Caracciola wins the Irish Grand Prix and the "Irish Times Trophy" in an "SSK". He covers the 300 mile course at an average speed of 139 km/h. The "SSK" is a further development of the "SS" with a 7 liter engine producing 170 hp without and 225 hp with supercharger. September: Rudolf Caracciola becomes "European Hill-Climb Champion" in a Mercedes-Benz "SSK". October 2 - 12: At the Paris Motor Show Daimler-Benz AG presents its biggest, heaviest and most expensive passenger car, the Mercedes-Benz 770 "Super Mercedes" (W 07), with a 7.7 liter, 8-cylinder in-line engine. The world economic crisis begins to take effect, with a quarter of the year's production having to be stockpiled. In a bid to secure jobs, the Sindelfingen plant supplies several thousand car bodies to the firm Wanderer. As a rationalization measure, car production is concentrated in Untertürkheim, truck-manufacture in Gaggenau and body-construction in Sindelfingen. Omnibus bodies are now made out of pure steel - considerably increasing passive safety for passengers.

1931

February: The "Nürburg" is also made available with overdrive transmission and a 5 l engine. This variant later acquires the designation "Nürburg" 500. March: A newly-founded company - "Société des Diesel Rapides" in Paris - is granted manufacturing rights for Daimler-Benz diesel engines in France. April 12 - 13: The 1,000 mile race in Brescia, Italy (1,635 km) is won by Rudolf Caracciola and Wilhelm Sebastian in a Mercedes-Benz "SSKL" at an average speed of 101.1 km/h. Caracciola is the first non-Italian winner in the history of the "Mille Miglia" race. September: Rudolf Caracciola retains his "European Hill-Climb for Sports Cars Championship" crown in a Mercedes-Benz "SSK". October 1 - 11: At the Paris Motor Show Daimler-Benz AG launches the 170 (W 15). Innovations include independent suspension front and rear. The smallest car yet produced by Daimler-Benz AG, the 170 comes just at the right moment in these times of economic crisis. Launch of the new 2 ton Lo 2000 truck, available either with petrol or diesel engine. This is the world's first series-produced light truck with a diesel engine. The year's deficit is only partly covered by drawing on the company's entire reserve fund of RM 2.3 million and the redemption of ordinary shares worth RM 6.74 million.

1932

May 22: Manfred von Brauchitsch wins the Avus race in Berlin in a Mercedes-Benz "SSKL", setting a world record of 200 km/h for its class. The "SSKL" (short for "Super-Sport-Kurz-Leicht") [super-sport-short-light] represents the latest stage in development of the "S" series. It is only available as a two-seater racer with a 7 liter engine producing 240 hp without and 300 hp with supercharger and giving a top speed of up to 235 km/h. The version used in this Avus race has a streamlined body built by the firm Vetter in Fellbach, and its shape prompts von Brauchitsch to give it the affectionate nickname "The Cucumber". Badly hit by the world economic crisis, production and sales of cars and trucks reach a low point. After taking into account depreciation, losses over the year total some RM 5 million. The size of the workforce shrinks by more than half from 18,281 in 1927 to 9,148. In order to make full use of capacity, all the series-produced bodies for the BMW 3/20 hp are manufactured in the Sindelfingen plant until 1934. Daimler-Benz AG doubles its share of the German car market to 14% and its share of the truck market to 16%.

1933

February 11 - 23: Launch of the new 200 (W 21), 290 (W 18) and 380 (W 22) at the International Automobile and Motorcycle Exhibition in Berlin. The 380 marks the start of the tradition of stylish and elegant cars with 8-cylinder supercharged engines which is later continued by the world-famous 500 K and 540 K. The 380 is the first car with the short arm/long arm suspension system with coil springs which is still used world-wide today. March: Daimler-Benz AG announces its return to racing in 1934 - the first year in which the weight of formula racing cars is to be restricted to 750 kg. ' March: As a result of an upturn in registrations of new cars and trucks, the workforce expands and short-time working ceases at all factories. Summer: For the first time in its history, Daimler-Benz AG launches a semi-trailer tractor unit range with its LZ 4000, LZ 6000 and LZ 8000 models designed for four, six and eight ton payloads. December: Daimler-Benz AG is now Germany's third biggest automotive producer, with an 11% market share.

1934

March 8 - 18: At the Berlin Auto Show two new designs are presented - the 130 - which is the first series-produced rear-engined Mercedes - and the 500 K sports car with an 8-cylinder supercharged engine. June 3: The era of the "Silver Arrows" begins with the 750 kg racing car developed to comply with the new regulations for Grand Prix racing. In its first race - the Eifel International Race on the Nürburgring - Manfred von Brauchitsch sweeps to victory in record time. Other successes are clocked up in the Coppa Acerbo, Pescara (1st), the Italian Grand Prix, Monza (1st), the Spanish Grand Prix, San Sebastian (1st and 2nd) and on the AVUS circuit where a track record of 311.98 km/h is set. July 21/22: During the "2,000 Kilometers through Germany" endurance race Mercedes-Benz cars in various categories collect a total of 26 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze individual and team medals. August 5: Rudolf Caracciola wins the international Klausen Race with the day's best time and also sets a new race record. October 28: On the Gyon track near Budapest, Rudolf Caracciola sets a series of records in his W 25, including a speed of 317.5 km/h for the kilometer with flying start. October 30: On the same track Caracciola sets a new world record for the mile with standing start - at an average speed of 188.6 km/h. December 10: Rudolf Caracciola sets a new speed record for the Avus circuit, recording figures of 311.98 km/h (5 km with flying start). Bohnstedt-Petersen A/S of Hilleröd, Denmark becomes the first plant to assemble cars abroad for Daimler-Benz AG. Daimler-Benz AG now has an annual payroll of some RM 50 million. Production restarts at the Marienfelde plant - manufacturing trucks for on- and off-road use.

1935

January 1: Max Sailer, the former DMG works racing driver, becomes head of the Design Office and Testing department, succeeding Hans Nibel who passed away on November 25, 1934. February: Launch of the 1.5 liter, 4-cylinder rear-engined sports car developed from the 150 "sports sedan", which had emerged victorious in the 1934 "2,000 Kilometers through Germany" endurance race. May 10: "Steyr-Daimler-Puch Aktiengesellschaft", based in Steyr, Austria, is created out of the merger of "Austro-Daimler-Puch Werke Aktiengesellschaft" with "Steyr-Werke AG". Fall: Rudolf Caracciola becomes European and German Champion. November: The first ten Mercedes-Benz rear-engined cars are assembled in Denmark. On the initiative of Fritz Nallinger, Daimler-Benz AG sets up a separate section for the development of large engines in Untertürkheim (Plant 6, later Plant 60). Introduction of various improvements in the industrial relations sphere, including an extension of the dismissal notice period, longer holiday entitlement and dismissal protection for the severely disabled. Daimler-Benz AG now accounts for almost a third of the total value of German automotive exports. In Stuttgart the 10,000th diesel truck is exhibited. The W 25 Formula 1 racing car notches up the following successes: Monaco Grand Prix, 1st place (April 22) Tripoli Grand Prix, 1st and 3rd place (May 12) International Avus Race, 1st place (May 26) International Eifel Race, 1st place (June 16) French Grand Prix, 1st and 2nd place (June 23) Barcelona Grand Prix, 1st and 2nd place (June 30) Belgian Grand Prix, 1st and 2nd place (July 14) Swiss Grand Prix, 1st and 2nd place (August 25) Spanish Grand Prix, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place (September 22).

1936

February 15 - March 1: The Berlin Auto Show sees the launch of the Mercedes-Benz 170 V (W 136), 170 H (W 28), and the 260 D (W 138) - the first series-produced diesel passenger car in the world. Tributes are also paid to Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler on the anniversary of "50 Years of the Automobile ". March 4: Zeppelin airship LZ 129 "Hindenburg" makes its maiden voyage. With its four Daimler-Benz DB 602 (LOF 6) aero-engines each producing 1,050 hp, it makes three trips to South America and ten scheduled journeys to North America, covering a total distance of 308,000 kilometers. May 17: After clinching victory at the Monaco Grand Prix on April 13 Rudolf Caracciola also takes the checkered flag at the Tunis Grand Prix, setting an average speed of 160.3 km/h. This is the last Grand Prix victory of the 1936 season for Mercedes-Benz. October 1 - 11: The Mercedes-Benz 540 K (W 29) with an 8-cylinder supercharged engine is launched at the Paris Motor Show as a successor to the 500 K. October: Together with a considerable number of truck deals, an agreement is signed with China to set up an assembly operation in Shanghai. 1,800 L 2000 diesel truck chassis are to be supplied by 1938. November 11: Rudolf Caracciola, driving a specially-designed, fully streamlined car, sets five class records and a world record (10 miles with flying start in 2 hours 53.73 minutes = 333.48 km/h) on the Reichsautobahn between Frankfurt and Darmstadt. Daimler-Benz AG opens its museum of automobile history to the public for the first time. "Daimler-Benz-Motoren GmbH" sets up an aero-engine plant in Genshagen. Following an expansion of capacity, 20,000 car bodies (17,000 of them for the 170 V) leave the Sindelfingen plant over the course of the year. Vehicle and engine exports rise by 43% compared with the previous year.

1937

January: "Panhard & Levassor" in France acquire a license to produce the Mercedes-Benz 170 V. February 20 - March 7: The 320 (W 142) is presented at the Berlin Auto Show. Spring/Summer: 30 Volkswagen prototypes (VW 30, the Porsche 60, and a predecessor of the "Kraft durch Freude" car) are produced at the Sindelfingen plant according to a design by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche. October 1: Wilhelm Kissel is appointed Chairman of the Board. Kissel had been a Board member between 1926 and 1930 and from about 1930 onwards had chaired Board meetings. Following the introduction of new legislation on shareholding on 1.10.1937, he was then formally declared "Chairman of the Board". Fall: Rudolf Caracciola becomes European Champion for the 1937 racing season. November 11: Dr. Hermann Wurster, at the helm of a Bayerische Flugmotorenwerke Messerschmitt Bf 109 V 13 powered by a Mercedes-Benz DB 601 Re III aero-engine, sets a new speed record of 601.21 km/h. Production starts of the Mercedes-Benz DB 601 - the first aero-engine with petrol injection. The newly developed W 125 racing car clocks up a series of victories: Tripoli Grand Prix, 1st place (May 9) German Grand Prix, 1st and 2nd places (July 25) Monaco Grand Prix, 1st, 2nd and 3rd places (August 8) Swiss Grand Prix, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th places (August 21) Italian Grand Prix, 1st place (September 12).

1938

January 28: On the Frankfurt - Darmstadt Reichsautobahn Rudolf Caracciola reaches a speed of 432.7 km/h for the kilometer with flying start. This is the fastest speed ever achieved on a normal public road - a record that remains unbeaten to this day. February 18 - March 6: The 770 "Super Mercedes" (W 150) with a 7.7 liter, 8-cylinder supercharged in-line engine producing 155/230 hp is presented at the International Automobile and Motorcycle Exhibition in Berlin. This completely redesigned model has a tubular frame, front transverse link suspension with coil springs and a De-Dion rear axle (referred to internally as a "parallel wheel axle"). July 24: Richard Seaman wins the German Grand Prix on the Nürburgring circuit at an average speed of 129.8 km/h. July: Since production first started, more than 40,000 170 V vehicles have been sold. September: Work starts on the new 1.5 liter racing car (W 165) for the 1939 Tripoli Grand Prix. The vehicle is completed within a mere 8 months. Fall: Rudolf Caracciola becomes European Champion for the third time in a Mercedes-Benz, repeating his triumphs of 1935 and 1937 and, in so doing, becoming the most successful racing driver of his time. W 154 racing cars constructed according to the new 3 liter formula clock up six victories in nine races: Tripoli Grand Prix, 1st and 2nd places (May 15) French Grand Prix, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places (July 3) German Grand Prix, 1st and 2nd places (July 24) Coppa Ciano, Livorno, 1st place (August 7) Coppa Acerbo, Pescara, 1st place (August 14) Swiss Grand Prix, 1st, 2nd and 3rd places (August 21).

1939

February 8/9/14: On the Reichsautobahn near Dessau Rudolf Caracciola, at the wheel of the 3 liter record car, sets several new records, including, on February 9, 399.6 km/h for the mile with flying start. April: Captain Fritz Wendel sets an absolute speed record of 755.138 km/h in a Messerschmitt Me 209 fighter plane (plant designation: Bf 109 R) powered by a Daimler-Benz 12-cylinder 601 Re V aero-engine. The record remains unbeaten for the next 30 years. May 7: Hermann Lang and Rudolf Caracciola occupy the top two places in the first and only race contested by the 1.5 liter W 165 formula racing car in Tripoli. September: Hermann Lang becomes European Champion and German Hill-Climb Champion and Rudolf Caracciola German Road Champion. The 3 liter W 154 Formula racing car takes five victories from six first class races: First and second places in the Pau Grand Prix, (April 8) first, third and fourth places in the International Eifel Race (May 21) first and third places in the Belgian Grand Prix (June 25) first place in the German Grand Prix (July 23) and first, second and third places in the Swiss Grand Prix (August 20). November: The city of Stuttgart sells a 6-hectare industrial site in Untertürkheim to Daimler-Benz AG. At the outbreak of the Second World War, the company has twice as many orders on its books as in the previous year and their value, at RM 600 million, is 50% higher than the entire year's turnover.

1940

March 6: On the 40th anniversary of his death, Gottlieb Daimler's former workshop in the summerhouse in Cannstatt is inaugurated as a memorial to the automotive pioneer. End of March: Daimler-Benz AG converts to wartime production. The 170 V remains in the company's product range and 1,400 units with various different bodies are produced every month. The 3.4 liter W 142 car also continues in limited production. Both these vehicles are supplied to the military as a jeep-type vehicle, and the 170 V also as a 0.3 ton van. In the Untertürkheim plant, the off-road 3 ton LGF 3000 fire tender is manufactured, as well as bodies for trucks, omnibuses and special vehicles. April 23: Fritz Nallinger, as Technical Manager responsible for design, development and production of heavy-duty engines from 1935, is appointed to the Board of Management and assumes the tasks of Chief Engineer after Max Sailer is taken ill. September 1 - 8: Daimler-Benz AG is the only exhibitor of passenger cars at the Vienna Autumn Fair. Fall: In view of the worsening situation regarding fuel supplies, the design department starts working on coal generators - a development which is successfully completed by the end of 1942 with the construction of 50 generators. November: The AGM decides to increase the company's share capital from RM 39.15 million to RM 50.2 million. Winter: Dr. Wilhelm Kissel opens negotiations with the city of Stuttgart about expanding the Untertürkheim plant on the Wasen site. The result is the acquisition of a 34,000 square meter site. Since production of the Mercedes-Benz 170 V (W 136) first started in 1935, a total of almost 100,000 vehicles have been sold. An application is filed to close Mercedesstraße to public traffic.

1941 January: A third of vehicle construction capacity is taken up with manufacturing spare parts. May 9/10: First aerial bombardment of the Untertürkheim plant. Italy, Hungary and Romania start to construct aero-engines under license from Daimler-Benz, with parts being supplied from the Untertürkheim plant. An issue of new shares to the value of RM 25 million, combined with a subsequent capital adjustment, results in an overall increase in the company's equity capital of some 80% by January 1, 1942. Summer: A decree by the "Plenipotentiary for Motor Transport" results in Daimler-Benz's capacity to produce vehicles for the military being considerably reduced in favor of other, higher priority, products. Now only 1,610 1.7 liter cars, 50 3.4 liter cars and 270 3 ton trucks may be produced per quarter. The aim of this measure is to release further employees for priority manufacturing activities to aid the war effort. Summer: In the summer of 1941 the workforce is employed in the following areas of production: Plant 60 (engine construction, Untertürkheim): aero-engines: 1,234 staff marine engines: 1,270 aero-engine repairs: 155 Plant 10 (Mettingen): aero-engine parts: 1,337 staff torpedoes: 128 searchlight engines: 350 vehicles: 1,289 At the end of 1941 Daimler-Benz AG starts to develop air-cooled truck engines.

1942

March: The new 4% Daimler-Benz bonds with a nominal value of RM 40 million have a life of 25 years. '

Summer: The working week is extended to 52 hours in order to compensate for a lack of workers. July: In order to consolidate the company's operating resources, the AGM decides on a further capital increase of up to 30 million RM. July 18: Chairman of the Board Dr. Wilhelm Kissel dies unexpectedly. On August 23 Dr. Wilhelm Haspel, a member of the Sindelfingen plant management since 1927, becomes his successor. Fall: Vehicle production at the Untertürkheim plant ceases. August: On the instructions of Reichsminister Speer, Daimler-Benz AG signs a licensing agreement for production of the 3 ton Opel "Blitz" standard truck. The 3 ton truck which the company had manufactured hitherto therefore goes out of production. Manufacture of the new truck starts with effect from the summer of 1944.

December 11: The long-serving Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Dr. Emil Georg von Stauss, dies. He is succeeded by Hans Rummel of Deutsche Bank. End of year: Development of a coal-burning generator for powering trucks and cars is completed, and 50 3.4 liter vehicles are equipped with the new device. The Head of the "Reich Headquarters for Generators" instructs Daimler-Benz to produce 2,000 such generators per month from April 1, 1943 onwards.

1943

June 8: Daimler-Benz AG issues further ordinary shares to a value of RM 30 million and increases the company's equity capital to RM 120 million. The shares, which will yield dividends from January 1, 1943, are offered to holders of old shares at a ratio of RM 3,000 old to RM 1,000 new at a rate of 130%. The AGM which follows approves a dividend of 6% on RM 90 million. September 17: Daimler-Benz AG launches a wood gas generator for 170 V cars which only weighs 70 kg, costs RM 800, can be installed in one day and enables the car to drive 100 to 130 kilometers on one load of 24 kg charcoal. November 26: The Untertürkheim plant is the target of a British night-time air raid. By the end of October the company management calculates that damage worth RM 70 million has been caused by aerial bombardments. Efforts to evacuate the company increase, following Dr. Haspel's instructions to this effect. Thus, during the course of the year, the book-keeping and central and general accounting departments are evacuated, as is most of the company's inventory.

1944

May 5: Bertha Benz dies at the age of 94 in Ladenburg. Late summer: The Sindelfingen plant delivers the first tail units for the "A 4 device" developed by Wernher von Braun, following the start of preparations for their manufacture in November 1943. The 7.5 meter long components with a diameter of 1.6 m consist of a steel skeleton covered in high temperature resistant steel sheeting. The world's biggest rocket - also called the "V 2" - provided the basis for rocket development during the post-war period in both East and West and can be seen as the precursor to today's carrier rockets. September 5: The largest scale air raids yet experienced by Untertürkheim cause damage worth RM 30.2 million and destroy some 70% of the plant. The figures for Mannheim and Gaggenau are 20% and 80% respectively. September 10 and 13: In the course of daylight air raids some 80% of the buildings and 52.5% of the plant and machinery is destroyed at Sindelfingen. A total of 2,000 explosive and fire bombs hit the plant. In order to protect machinery and tools from the ongoing raids on Untertürkheim, they are evacuated to a total of 400 different locations, including other factories. Large machines and components are stored in a road tunnel near Wiesensteig. By the end of 1944 the number of foreign workers employed both forcibly and voluntarily in Daimler-Benz AG factories reaches a peak of some 27,000. To this must be added some 3,000 prisoners of war and concentration camp detainees.

1945

March 23: The Mannheim plant is the first company facility to be occupied by American troops. April 9: The Gaggenau plant is occupied by French troops. April 20: The Untertürkheim plant is shut down and three days later is occupied by French troops. April 24/25: The Berlin-Marienfelde plant is occupied by Red Army troops overnight. Any machines still in the plant are confiscated and dismantled from the beginning of May onwards. May 20: The Untertürkheim plant is provisionally reopened. 1,240 blue and white-collar employees begin the task of reconstruction. June: Production restarts of the L 701 3 ton truck (the Opel "Blitz" under license), manufacture of which had commenced just prior to the bombing raids. August: The American military government instructs Dr. Haspel to prepare for production of sedan car models. August: Production of the L 4500 truck restarts in Gaggenau (total production in 1945: 290 units). Summer: A number of engineers from the Daimler-Benz aero-engine development department join up with an agricultural expert to form a working group aimed at developing an all-purpose vehicle (UNIMOG=Universal-Motor-Gerät). October 26: On the instructions of the American military government, Wilhelm Haspel is dismissed as Chairman of the Board. November: Daimler-Benz is granted permission by the Allies to produce the Mercedes-Benz 170 V (W 136 I) in pickup, van and ambulance versions. In the Untertürkheim plant a repair workshop for American military vehicles is set up.

1946

January: Manufacture of gas generators for passenger cars begins at the Sindelfingen plant. 765 units have been produced by August 1948. February 22: The first car engine to be built since the end of the war - a 1.7 liter, 4-cylinder unit for the 170 V - is completed in Untertürkheim. March 28: The Workers' Council (set up at the end of May 1945) develops into a Works Council with 9 - later 19 - members. May: Post-war production at Daimler-Benz AG commences, with assembly of the first 170 V (W 136 I) pickup, van and ambulance versions. A total of 214 units are manufactured in 1946. December: The company's entire vehicle and engine sales operations are put under central management in Untertürkheim. Hitherto there had been a large degree of autonomy of factories in the various product sectors and each had managed its own purchasing and sales operations. A major repair facility for the US Army is set up in Waiblingen.

1947

May: A works agreement is signed governing the relationship between the Works Council and plant and central management. July: Series production is resumed of the Mercedes-Benz 170 V (W 136 I) as a four-door sedan. August: The first 15 apprentices from Daimler-Benz AG spend two weeks in the new young people's holiday center at Haus Lämmerbuckel. Fall: Daimler-Benz AG once again participates in export exhibitions - in Hanover and Stuttgart-Hedelfingen. October: Completion of the 1,000th car since the war ended. December: In Berlin-Marienfelde two production facilities and two administrative buildings are restored and manufacture of spare parts begins, creating 550 jobs.

1948

January 1: Dr. Wilhelm Haspel takes over again as head of Daimler-Benz AG following his release by a denazification court. April: The Sindelfingen plant starts to produce the O 4500 omnibus, which had already been manufactured between 1943 and 1945 at the Gaggenau plant. May: Research and development work at Daimler-Benz AG restarts, after having been interrupted at the end of the war. June: 1,508 apprentices are now in training for technical trades and 69 for commercial professions. July 2: A 48-hour working week is written into the "Interim Rules of Procedure for Business of Daimler-Benz AG". August 29 - September 5: At the first agricultural exhibition to be held since the end of the war and the currency reform, in Frankfurt, the Unimog (Universal-Motor-Gerät) is presented to the public. August: From January 1946 to August 1948 the Sindelfingen plant produces a total of 765 gas generators for cars. Fall: Rudolf Caracciola celebrates 25 years as a racing driver for Daimler-Benz AG.

1949

February: For the first time since the war, production figures of 1,000 passenger cars per month are achieved. March: Maschinenfabrik Boehringer in Göppingen delivers the first series-produced Unimog vehicles. By 1951 a total of 600 such vehicles have been produced by the company. May 20 - 30: Launch of the Mercedes-Benz 170 S and 170 D at the Technical Export Fair in Hanover. At the same time the new L 3250 truck and O 3250 bus are presented - heralding a new era in commercial vehicle manufacture. October 4: An import company for Daimler-Benz products is set up in Zurich, with Daimler-Benz AG as a share-holder. November 1: The US Army takes over the plants in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Esslingen and Böblingen. The relevant contracts for Esslingen, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Waiblingen and Böblingen are cancelled on March 2, 1950. December 24: The first bus is produced in Mannheim - an O 3500. The Mannheim plant has now taken over part of the bus manufacturing operations from Sindelfingen. The export turnover of Daimler-Benz AG reaches DM 6.1 million (previous year: DM 2.0 million). Gradual introduction of new production methods based on the assembly-line system.

1950

January: The L 3250 truck is given a heavier payload and renamed the L 3500. May : Start of production of the improved Mercedes-Benz 170 Va (W 136 VI) and 170 Da (W 136 VI D) cars. July: Production of the O 6600 Mercedes-Benz omnibus in Gaggenau begins. July 31: Mercedes-Benz Argentina S.A. is founded in Buenos Aires. October: The 50,000th Mercedes-Benz car in the 170 series to be produced since the end of the war rolls off the Sindelfingen assembly line. October: Launch of the first newly-developed heavy-duty truck since the war - the L 6600. The first reconstruction phase is now over. 80% of the Untertürkheim plant and 97% of the Mannheim and Gaggenau plants has been reconstructed since the bombing raids of 1943. The Sindelfingen plant is expanded by 51%. Daimler-Benz AG export turnover skyrockets to DM 66.6 million. 28 % of export sales revenue is generated in Sweden. Daimler-Benz's first major post-war export deal involves supplying 1,000 CKD (completely knocked down) truck chassis to Brazil. Two-shift operation starts at the Sindelfingen plant 700 new workers are taken on.

1951 January 23: Béla Barényi's patent for the safety occupant cell is registered as No. 854 157. His invention remains today the basis for passive safety in automobile construction. February 18 and 24: Daimler-Benz enters three pre-war W 154 racing cars for the "Premio Presidente de la Nacion Juan D. Peron" race in Argentina. The victory proves elusive, partly because two of the vehicles suffer tire damage. Hermann Lang finishes in 2nd place, with Juan Manuel Fangio coming in 3rd and Karl Kling 6th. March: The introduction of the O 6600 H marks the complete separation of bus and truck chassis construction. April 19 - 29: At the Frankfurt Motor Show the 6-cylinder Mercedes-Benz 220 (W 187) and 300 (W 186 II) are launched. The 300, which is the biggest and fastest series-produced car manufactured in Germany, is later referred to popularly as the "Adenauer", on account of the fact that leading figures in politics and industry - including the first Federal Chancellor - choose the 300 as their chauffeur-driven limousine. May: The Gaggenau plant takes over production of the Unimog from Maschinenfabrik Gebr. Boehringer in Göppingen. October 4 - 14: Presentation of the 300 S, a two-door sports version of the 300, at the Paris Motor Show. Daimler-Benz receives an order for 350 Mercedes-Benz O 6600 T trolley-buses from Argentina. Daimler-Benz AG exports to 65 countries in Europe and overseas. Export turnover comes to DM 159.6 million.

1952 January 6: Wilhelm Haspel dies. Heinrich C. Wagner is appointed Chairman of the Board. January: Daimler-Benz AG gains a foothold in the North American market by signing an agency agreement with Maximilian Hoffman for annual sales of 253 cars. February: Daimler-Benz employees gain the opportunity to buy a brand new Mercedes-Benz passenger car every year at a special discount. This signals the start of business in cars bought under the company purchase plan. March: The 100,000th Mercedes 170 (W 136) built since post-war production began leaves the assembly line in Sindelfingen. March 12: The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (W 194) with a 3 liter carburetor engine is presented as a racing car prototype. May: The successful 170 V and 170 D series receive their final modifications in the form of the 170 Vb and 170 Db. June 15: Hermann Lang and Fritz Rieß win the Le-Mans 24-hour race in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. August 3: The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL secures a one-two-three in the Jubilee Grand Prix for sports cars on the Nürburgring: First is Hermann Lang, second Karl Kling, and third Fritz Rieß. November 19-23: Karl Kling and his co-driver Hans Klenk drive a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL to victory in the third "Carrera Panamericana Mexico" race. December: The "Securitas" relief fund is founded. Daimler-Benz AG injects DM 6.7 million into the fund in the first year. December: Exports to over 80 countries in Europe and overseas reach a value of some DM 226 million - an increase of 45% on the previous year.

1953 January 15: Death of Heinrich C. Wagner. He is succeeded by Dr. Fritz Könecke as Chairman of the Board. August: A Company Works Council is formed in Untertürkheim out of members from the individual plants and branches. September: The first Unimog 25 hp (401/402 series) with a completely enclosed all-steel drivers cab is produced, thus extending the potential market for this vehicle to include industrial and commercial use. September 9: The Mercedes-Benz 180 (W 120) - the first Mercedes-Benz car with a unitized, all-enveloping body design - is presented. It is to replace the 170 Sb. At the same time the modified 170 S-V and 170 S-D are introduced to replace the 170 Vb and 170 Db. October 23: "Mercedes-Benz do Brasil S.A." is founded in Saô Paulo. The plan is to manufacture commercial vehicles and omnibuses. End of year: Daimler-Benz AG, with export sales worth 244 million DM, is the biggest exporter of cars and commercial vehicles in Germany. Signing of a licensing agreement with Fiat for manufacture of the heavy-duty MB 820 (12-cylinder, 1,000 hp) and MB 836 (6-cylinder, in-line, 500 hp) diesel engines.

1954 February 6 - 14: The 190 SL and 300 SL sports car models are presented at the International Motor Sports Show in New York. The 215 hp 3 liter engine featured in the 300 SL is fitted with a Bosch fuel injection system - the first time the petrol injection system has been used in a production vehicle with a four-stroke engine. February: The new 2.5 liter W 196 Formula 1 racing car is completed. The new Daimler-Benz racing team consists of Juan Manuel Fangio, Karl Kling, Hans Herrmann and Hermann Lang. February: Price-reductions are introduced for the 170 S-V, 170 S-D and 180. The 180 now costs DM 9,450 compared with the previous price of DM 9,950. March: The launch of the new 6-cylinder model 220 a (W 180) marks the introduction of the single-joint swing axle in passenger car construction. March: The "Securitas" relief fund set up in December 1952 is renamed "Daimler-Benz Unterstützungskasse GmbH". March: The Indian company "Tata Engineering and Locomotive Comp., Ltd." (Telco) and Daimler-Benz AG sign an agreement covering cooperation in sales and the building of an assembly plant in Jamshedpur (India). Daimler-Benz AG acquires a share of approx. 12.5% in Telco. July 4: Start of Daimler-Benz AG's involvement in Formula 1 racing. In its first competition, the French Grand Prix in Reims, the new W 196 streamlined racing car fills the top two positions. Juan Manuel Fangio takes the checkered flag, followed by Karl Kling in second place. August: Series production of the 300 SL (W 198) sports car with fuel injection engine begins. September: The 50,000th truck built since production began in July 1949 is assembled in Mannheim. September: The 50,000th visitor since the reopening in 1951 is welcomed to the Daimler-Benz Museum. October: The start of production of the O 321 with its semi-integral construction marks a fundamental change in omnibus manufacture. December: Stirling Moss signs a contract with Daimler-Benz AG for the 1955 racing season. The traditional commercial vehicle and omnibus type designation based on the payload in kilograms is replaced by a three-figure model designation (e.g. the LA 3500 becomes the LA 311). The OM 312 A represents Daimler-Benz's first supercharged engine for a fire tender. Juan Manuel Fangio becomes Formula 1 World Champion.

1955 April 7: "Daimler-Benz of North America Inc." is founded in the US state of Delaware. May: The first Unimog S, a light-weight all-terrain vehicle in the 1.5 ton category with an 82 hp carburetor engine, rolls off the assembly line in Gaggenau. May: The Mercedes-Benz 190 SL (W 121) goes into series production. June 1: "I.M.A. S.A.", the Daimler-Benz general distributor for Belgium, opens an assembly plant for passenger cars in Malines, near Brussels. Initially the new plant handles assembly of the 180 D. Spring: Share prices rise by almost 90%. Stock-exchange circles attribute this to purchases made by the Flick Group. Spring: The Mannheim plant has now become Europe's biggest omnibus plant. July 18: Chairman of the Supervisory Board Hans Rummel resigns and is replaced by Hermann J. Abs. September 22 - October 2: At the Frankfurt Motor Show Daimler-Benz presents the L 319, the first post-war Mercedes-Benz van. The launch of the 300 Sc, a further development of the 300 S, represents an extension of petrol injection technology in production vehicles. Fall: Mercedes-Benz wins the Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship and the Constructors' World Championship with the 300 SLR sports car. Werner Engel wins the European Touring Car Championship in a 300 SL and 220 a. October 22: Daimler-Benz AG announces its decision to suspend its involvement in motor racing for the next few years. November: An assembly plant for the 180 D is officially opened by the Daimler-Benz general distributor "Universal Motors Corporation" in the Philippine capital, Manila. November: Following political unrest, "Mercedes-Benz Argentina S.A." is seized by the authorities. December 1: After sixteen months in production the 1,000th 300 SL car rolls off the assembly line at Sindelfingen. The export percentage of cars of this model is unusually high at 930 units. The controlling company of the Flick Group announces for the first time at the AGM that it now holds a 25% share of Daimler-Benz's equity capital.

1956 May 4: The first 563 vehicles of the new 190 (W 121), 219 (W 105) and 220 S (W 180 II) passenger car model series leave the Sindelfingen plant and are driven to the company's subsidiaries and dealerships, where they are presented to the public the next day. June 25: Friedrich Flick becomes First Deputy Chairman and Herbert Quandt Second Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board. Together with Hermann J. Abs they form the Supervisory Board Presidium. July: Series production of the 220 S cabriolet (W 180) begins. Three months later the coupe version also becomes available. September 28: Official opening of the Brazilian Sao Bernardo do Campo plant. September: Production starts of the L 319, available as a small van or a pickup, and the O 319 mini bus. October 1: The standard working week as fixed by collective agreement for workers in metal-processing industries is set at 45 hours. Fall: The test circuit at the Untertürkheim plant is ready for use. The rally team of Walter Schock and Rolf Moll wins the European Touring Car Championship in a 220 and a 300 SL. The newly established sport department under Karl Kling takes on the task of providing support for private Mercedes-Benz cars at sporting events. Daimler-Benz AG resumes research activities in the field of aero-engines. Daimler-Benz AG now exports to 127 different countries via a network of 183 general and 1,200 sub-representatives.

1957 March: The workforce at Daimler-Benz AG reaches the 50,000 mark for the first time. March 14 - 24: Launch of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster (W 198 II) at the Geneva Motor Show as the successor to the famous gull-wing coupe. April 11: An agreement between Daimler-Benz AG and Curtiss-Wright means that Studebaker-Packard is now responsible for distributing Mercedes-Benz cars and diesel engines in the USA. June: Production of the Mercedes-Benz L 321 starts at the Mannheim plant. This new model has a 5.5 ton payload and is available either as a conventional or a COE (cabin over engine) truck in pickup, tipper, semi-trailer and four-wheel drive versions. June: Half of Daimler-Benz AG's share capital is now in the hands of Flick and Quandt. August 7: Launch of an improved passenger car range. The most important innovations are in the 300 d (W 189) with a modernized body and injection engine, the 180 a (W 120), with a 65 hp, 1.9 liter engine, the 219 and 220 S with more powerful engines and the "Hydrak" hydraulic automatic clutch available as an option. In addition to these improved cars, the new O 317 bus with an underfloor engine and room for up to 120 passengers is also presented. November: The 20,000th Unimog Diesel is delivered. If the Unimog S is included, a total of 25,000 vehicles of this type have now been produced. Paul O'Shea wins the American Sports Car Championship for the third time in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. The 100,000th medium-weight diesel truck to be produced since the end of the war rolls off the assembly line in Mannheim - a German truck production record. The L/LP 326 heavy-duty truck is Daimler-Benz AG's first commercial vehicle with a 200 hp engine (OM 326) and represents a response to demands for increased performance. Every other newly-registered truck over 3 tons on German roads is now a Daimler-Benz product.

1958

April 1: Daimler-Benz purchases an 88% share in the equity capital of Auto Union GmbH, Ingolstadt/Düsseldorf [later to become Audi].

May: Production starts of the Mercedes-Benz O 317 omnibus at the Mannheim plant and of the Mercedes-Benz LP 333 in Gaggenau. This vehicle, dubbed the "millipede", has two steered front axles as permitted by the new registration regulations. May: For the first time in the history of Daimler-Benz AG, company turnover exceeds DM 2 billion. May: Completion of the new high-rise administration block in Untertürkheim. July 2: The wedge-pin door lock with two security notches is registered as a patent. The innovative construction detail, which stops the door flying open or getting stuck in the event of an accident, is introduced into the product range in August 1959. July 30: "Mercedes-Benz Australia Pty. Ltd." is founded in Port Melbourne. August: The recently founded Studebaker subsidiary "Mercedes-Benz Sales, Inc." (MBS), located in South Bend, Indiana, takes over responsibility for sales of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars in the USA. September 1: Launch of the 220 SE (W 128) with fuel injection engine. This long-established technology for improving engine performance is thus now available in series production. The additional cost compared with a 220 S fitted with a normal carburetor engine is DM 1,900. At the same time the 190 D (W 121) is launched - a further addition to the diesel car model range - with a 50 hp, 4-cylinder engine. September: The 100,000th 180 D diesel car is produced at the Sindelfingen plant less than five years after production began. October: Production at MB do Brasil, with a workforce of over 5,000 one of the country's biggest private companies, is now 60 vehicles per month. November: Annual production at Tata Engineering and Locomotive Comp. is now 6,000 units. Within some ten years, Daimler-Benz AG has invested DM 892 million, including DM 215 million in real estate and DM 477 million in movable property. The proportion of total company turnover derived from exports has now risen to 44.9% (previous year's figure: 41.6%). Exports go to 136 different countries with a total of more than 2,000 sales and customer service operations.

1959

January: Introduction of the 44-hour week in all plants and branches. January 8 - February 20: The Rallye Mediteranée-Le Cap (length 14,045 km) ends with a surprise victory in the overall classification for Kling/Günzler in a Mercedes-Benz 219. March 27 - 31: The Fritschy/Ellis driver pairing takes victory in the overall classification of the East African Rally in a Mercedes-Benz 219. March: Capacity in Untertürkheim and Sindelfingen is increased to a monthly output of 10,000 cars. March: Daimler-Benz AG launches the new L/LP 322 and L/LP 337 basic truck models. This marks the start of the replacement process of the traditional truck by new short-hood and COE designs. To increase active safety, the driver's cab is equipped with rubber mountings at the front and transverse leaf springs and shock-absorbers at the back. March: The first Mercedes-Benz car assembled in Australia, a 220 S, rolls off the assembly line at the Melbourne plant of "Mercedes-Benz Australia Pty. Ltd.". March: Daimler-Benz AG plans involvement in the reorganization of BMW, with the Bavarian company retaining its independence and the BMW brand. March: The 190 D wins an American fuel economy competition over a distance of 5,122 miles. The cost per mile is 6 tenths of a Cent. August 11: Daimler-Benz AG launches the new 6-cylinder 220, 220 S and 220 SE with tail fins. These vehicles are the first series-produced cars to be constructed with the safety cell originally developed by Béla Barényi. The series enables Daimler-Benz to become market-leader in the mid-range passenger car sector. September: Systematic crash-testing starts at Sindelfingen. Initially the tests take place in the open air. December 9: The proposal for Daimler-Benz AG to acquire a stake in BMW is rejected at the BMW AGM. December 31: Daimler-Benz AG acquires the remaining shares in Auto Union GmbH. December: In Gaggenau the 7,000th employee is taken on. The total export turnover of Daimler-Benz AG exceeds the one billion mark for the first time. Passenger car deliveries to the USA are 5,320 units up on the previous year at 12,968 vehicles. The Flick Group now owns 38%, the Quandt Group 13%, and Deutsche Bank 28% of Daimler-Benz shares.

1960

January 18 - 25: The privately entered 220 SE of the Schock/Moll driver pairing brings Germany its first overall victory in the Monte Carlo Rally during the course of the year Mercedes-Benz cars record a total of 117 rally victories. April: The 10,000th O 321 H/H-L series omnibus rolls off the assembly line. April: The Untertürkheim and Sindelfingen plants see a further increase in capacity to some 11,000 vehicles a month. April: A 1.5 million square meter industrial site is purchased in Wörth, near the city of Karlsruhe in south-west Germany. August 10: Daimler-Benz acquires a majority stake in "Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH" Friedrichshafen via its subsidiary "Industriemotorenbau GmbH". The companies agree to cooperation in the development and production of high-speed heavy-duty engines. Fall: Schock and Moll win the European Rally Championship in a Mercedes-Benz 220 SE. October 1: The Horex KG plant in Bad Homburg is taken over by Daimler-Benz to be used for the production of engine timing components. Production consisting mainly of valves is to begin in early 1961. November 17: Dr. Fritz Könecke, Chairman of the Board of Management, asks to be released prematurely from his contract by the end of the year for personal reasons. December 16: The 200,000th truck produced in Mannheim since the war rolls off the plant assembly line. December 17: Dr. Könecke presents a stretched version 300 d landaulet to Pope John XXIII.