One of the most important names in the automobile industry when it comes to eye-catching design, luxury, and performance is ‘Mercedes-Benz’. Since the ground-breaking invention of the world’s first petrol-powered car in 1886 by Karl Benz, Mercedes Benz has been a leading contributor to the luxury automobile industry. The origin of Mercedes Benz can be traced back to the momentous creation of the world’s first internal combustion engine-powered car by Karl Benz (Benz Patent Motorwagen) in 1886. This three-wheeled petrol-powered vehicle was a remarkable achievement and gave birth to the now-existing automobile industry as we know. To dig a little deeper into the roots of this German luxury automotive brand’s story, here are 10 things you didn’t know about Mercedes-Benz.
1. How Mercedes got its name | Mercedes-Benz
Karl Benz’s creation sparked an interest in the development of combustion engine cars. One of them was Gottlieb Daimler’s company Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) which marketed the first ever Mercedes automobile in 1901.
After the demise of Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach took over and partnered with Emil Jellinek, an automobile entrepreneur working with DMG who named his car after his daughter – Mercedes Jellinek. This was later on used as an inspiration for the company’s name.
2. Significance of their iconic logo with their history
‘Mercedes Benz’ is a merger between DMG and ‘Benz and Cie’ in 1926. The three-pointed star logo of DMG that illustrated their dominance over land, air, and sea transport is the trademarked logo with a laurel wreath wrapped around the company’s name.
3. Mercedes Benz’s first hybrid car
Before the complete internal combustion engines dominated the industry, companies experimented with a mix of electric and fuel-based vehicles. Among these was the Mercedes-Benz’s Mixte model in 1906 that was considered the first hybrid car where the gasoline engine is a dynamo that converts the energy of the gasoline engine into electric supply to power the traction motors.
4. Introduction of safety crumple zones on Mercedes Benz
Keeping the safety of the driver and passengers in mind, most automobile brands were subscribing to the more-metal approach in 1951 that led to a patent by a Mercedes Benz engineer Béla Barényi on special cells within the body of a car that deform upon impact. The special zones called the “crumple zones” helped redistribute the force of impact during an accident, and this approach was finally introduced into Mercedes-Benz cars in 1959.
5. Braking and suspension on all four wheels | Mercedes-Benz
6. The first ever anti-lock braking system
The anti-lock braking technology has transformed the automobile industry. By giving the driver the ability to continue steering the car while braking to avoid collisions, this technology has been responsible for saving innumerable amount lives. This refined technology was first whipped into action by Mercedes Benz and Bosch in the late ‘70s specifically for the company’s elite range of cars i.e., the S-Class, and, later was implemented into all the other models of the company.
7. The secret behind the shiny long-lasting paint job of the car
The secret behind the pearl-like shiny paint job is the result of several coats of paint and a 52-ton primer bath before the painting of each car. This corrosion-resistant, vibrant primer is applied to every nook-and-corner of the car’s body. Apart from that, high-quality rust preventive chemicals are sprayed under the wheels and permanent plasticized undercoating is also done in addition to the primer coating for increased overall protection of the car in terms of long term ‘wear & tear’ as well as rusting.
8. Seat design and shapes in a Mercedes-Benz
The secret behind the pearl-like shiny paint job is the result of several coats of paint and a 52-ton primer bath before the painting of each car. This corrosion-resistant, vibrant primer is applied to every nook-and-corner of the car’s body. Apart from that, high-quality rust preventive chemicals are sprayed under the wheels and permanent plasticized undercoating is also done in addition to the primer coating for increased overall protection of the car in terms of long term ‘wear & tear’ as well as rusting.
9. A Mercedes never gets old…
Upon regular usage, every car succumbs to the long-term wear & tear and starts showing symptoms, be it rattling engine noises or the squeaking of doors or trunks. But the reason a Mercedes doesn’t produce such sounds is that each body of a Mercedes Benz is welded in nearly 10,000 places to ensure that there is no room left for loose bolts or nuts and provide the customer with a smooth and luxurious ride for a long time.
10. Active Perfuming System | Mercedes-Benz
The designers at Mercedes Benz added an active perfuming system in the S-Class cars that dispense four different fragrances which were specifically designed by Perfume Specialist Marc Von Ende to compliment the smell of leather in a new car. These fragrances included Freeside Mood (Citrus), Sports Mood (Floral and Outdoors), Nightlife Mood (Leather and Wood), and Downtown Mood (Floral and Musk).
The motto of Mercedes is ‘Das Beste Oder Nichts’ that translates to “the best or nothing” and with many interesting lesser-known facts in its history like these, Mercedes-Benz, the oldest automaker, has etched its name in history with an unmatched legacy.
References
Daimler (2005). Early experiments by Wilhelm Maybach. [online]. (Last updated: Feb 17, 2005). Available at: https://media.daimler.com/marsMediaSite/en/instance/ko/Early-experiments-by-Wilhelm-Maybach.xhtml?oid=9361186 [Accessed date: 1/11/2021]
ADAM BIBLE (2018). 11 Things You Didn’t Know About Mercedes-Benz. [online]. (Last updated: Aug 03, 2018). Available at: https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/g22064109/mercedes-benz-facts/ [Accessed date: 1/11/2021]
Did you know cars (2019). Interesting facts about Mercedes Benz [online].
Available at: https://didyouknowcars.com/interesting-facts-about-mercedes-benz/ [Accessed date: 1/11/2021]
OSV. Crazy facts about Mercedes [online]. Available at: https://www.osv.ltd.uk/crazy-facts-about-mercedes/ [Accessed date: 1/11/2021]
TandT Motors Ltd (2020). 4 Lesser-Known Facts about Mercedes-Benz. [online]. (Last updated: Aug 11, 2005). Available at: https://issuu.com/tandtmotorsindia/docs/4_lesser-known_facts_about_mercedes-benz [Accessed date: 1/11/2021]
