First Fourzylinder

This car and particularly its engine are important for the development of the Daimler-Motoren Gesellschaft. The inventiveness of Daimler and above all Maybach, we owe the engine in this vehicle. Both successively have left in anger the Daimler-Motoren Gesellschaft and basically used the garden hall of a former hotel as a new workshop. There it is created, the first four-cylinder engine in the world. The name 'Phoenix' perhaps explains the situation. A bird that (periodically) burns itself and newly created from the ashes.

The story goes something like that with this engine. British investors are so convinced that they force the Daimler Motor-Company with a bid of 350,000 Mark, to resume Daimler and then Maybach, too. The company so urgently needs the money that they accepted the condition. The result is a series of cars, of which the shown above is one of the last. For Daimler himself the story ends with his death in 1900, for Maybach not for a long time yet.

Jellinek appears on the scene and orders two cars for races to Nice (Southern France). He also called these after his ten-year-old daughter 'Mercedes', although the name is actually belonging to the successor model. The premiere ends tragically. Beause of too much weight on the front axle of this model Daimler-foreman William Bauer already crashed in the first curve and dies a day later. Everything seems to end, but there is again a situation as with the Phoenix-bird.

Jellinek orders 36 cars and require design changes. The Maybach will now perform, as well as all of the following differences compared with the model shown above you can read more details to the models Mercedes Simplex from 1904 and 1905. E.g. the front weight and the tendency to tilt are reduced. This car, with the now well accepted name 'Mercedes' by the Daimler plants, has a year later success and almost Europe-wide improved image. It lets surpass the company as major competitors like Benz. Shortly after the turn of the century Daimler increases to the leading brand in Germany. For Maybach begins a at first promising time. 11/06

cartecc.com Imprint Index