Beginning. The Mercedes-Benz brand was created in 1926 when the companies Mercedes and Benz merged. Mercedes was the name of Emil Jelinek's daughter. Emil Jelinek was an Austrian entrepreneur and one of the company's founders. The company began to sell Daimler cars back in 1898. Jelinek also took part in races under the pseudonym of Mercedes. In 1900, the decision was made to construct a new engine called "Daimler-Mercedes". The first contract on joint operations between Karl Benz's Benz & Cie. and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, established by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, was signed in 1924. In 1926, Benz & Cie. and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft officially merged to form Daimler-Benz AG, thus prompting the decision to manufacture vehicles under the joint name Mercedes-Benz.
Development. In the 50s, one of the most famous Mercedes sports cars was created — the 300 SL, with doors opening upwards. Many of the cars produced by Mercedes in the 20th century became cult cars. You may recall the luxurious Adenauer Mercedes 180 manufactured in the years 1951–1962 or the W116 model of 1972, which was the first generation of the S-class. In addition, the 1970s also saw the arrival of the Mercedes W123. It was manufactured in the years 1975–1986. The 1980s saw the debut of the "baby" Benz, i.e. the 190 model, which was created in the years 1982–1993 and was replaced by the C-class. Two years later, the 124 model was launched, which was manufactured until 1997. This model is quite well-known in Poland. The 210 model arrived shortly thereafter, replaced by the 211 version in 2002 and the 212 version in 2009. These models belong to the E-class.
Present. In 1998, after buying the majority of shares in the American company Chrysler, the company changed its name to DaimlerChrysler. Mercedes counted on a greater access to the American market and Americans counted on transferring technologies from Germans. The alliance survived until 2007, when Daimler sold its shares in Chrysler, due to poor financial results. Since that time, the company has been called Daimler AG. Today's collection consists of 550 vehicles. It includes 350 passenger cars, 140 racing cars and 60 usable vehicles of the Mercedes-Benz brand and its predecessors: Benz and Daimler.
Contribution to the automotive industry. Karl Benz, one of the founders of the Mercedes Benz company, is one of the most notable people in the history of the automotive industry. In 1878, he constructed a two-stroke internal combustion engine (and a four-stroke engine some time later). He is the creator of the following car parts: the clutch, the carburettor, the ignition plug, the differential gear, the transmission and the radiator. Mercedes cars are known for their quality, innovation and safety.
Trivia. In 1885, Karl Benz constructed the first three-wheeled vehicle with an internal combustion engine and electric ignition. Interestingly enough, the public initially ridiculed the idea, but Benz continued the work. The 770 model, called Grosser Mercedes, was a luxurious executive car used, amongst others, by Adolf Hitler. The Mercedes 260D, manufactured since 1936, was the first serial car with a diesel engine.
Currently manufactured models: Mercedes A-class (W169C), Mercedes CLK-class (C209), Mercedes C-class (W204), Mercedes C-class, station wagon (S204), Mercedes CLC-class (C204), Mercedes CLK-class (C209), Mercedes CLS-class (C219), Mercedes E-class (W212), Mercedes E-class, station wagon (S212), Mercedes CL-class (W216), Mercedes S-class (W221), Mercedes CL-class (W216), Mercedes SL-class (R230), Mercedes SLK-class (R171), Mercedes SL-class (R230), Mercedes G-class (W463), Mercedes GLK-class (X204), Mercedes M-class (W164), Mercedes R-class (W251), Mercedes SLS AMG (C197).
Tyres. Mercedes is one of the most recognisable car brands in the world. This brand's models are serially equipped with tyres of all leading tyre manufacturers in the world. Let's just mention a few examples: Dunlop SP Sport 01 (Mercedes CLS and E-430 AMG), SP Sport 9000 (E-340 AMG, ML55, ML320, ML320/500, S340, SL500/SL600), Grandtrek TG35 (ML320, ML 430), Yokohama ADVAN Sport V103 MO (Mercedes AMG CL63/65), ADVAN Sport V103A MO (Mercedes AMG ML 63), ADVAN Sport V103S MO (Mercedes AMG C63), Geolandar G038G (Mercedes G500) and AVS S/T V801 (Mercedes AMG G55), Bridgestone tyres from the Ecopia series (Mercedes-Benz C-, SLK- and E-class), Pirelli P Zero Rosso (C- and E-class).