On November 22, 2025, will probably be 125 years because the launch of the primary Mercedes mannequin, the Mercedes 35 hp.
The Mercedes 35 hp is the primary car to bear the Mercedes identify, having been accomplished on November 22, 1900, by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) in Cannstatt. It appeared 14 years after Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz offered, in 1886, a motorized carriage thought of to be the world’s first car (patent quantity 37435).
The Mercedes 35 hp was created on the request of Emil Jellinek, a enterprise associate of DMG who was additionally an enthusiastic motorist. Jellinek was DMG’s most vital buyer on the time, ordering 72 new vehicles that he then bought to rich shoppers throughout Europe. The Mercedes 35 hp was a flexible car out there in a number of variations: a sports activities mannequin that additionally competed in races, and a limousine outfitted with a prestigious physique, making it appropriate for on a regular basis use.
Returning to the genesis of the Mercedes 35 hp, Emil Jellinek requested DMG’s chief engineer, Wilhelm Maybach, for a contemporary, highly effective, and protected car— the primary mannequin to maneuver away from the concept of a motorized carriage. Its low heart of gravity, lengthy wheelbase, and large observe supplied a beforehand unseen degree of driving security and stability. As well as, the automotive featured an angled steering column and a gearbox with a foot-operated clutch—key enhancements in ergonomics and options that stay basic in automotive engineering to today.
The modern design made it doable to make use of a high-performance 5.9-liter, 4-cylinder engine that produced 25.7 kW (35 PS) at 950 rpm. The brand new design additionally marked the introduction of the primary radiator grille. Maybach’s invention of the honeycomb radiator enabled environment friendly cooling, a prerequisite for attaining excessive efficiency.
The primary Mercedes mannequin in historical past was delivered to Emil Jellinek on December 22, 1900, and Jellinek competed with it in Race Week in Good, held from March 25 to 29, 1901. The Mercedes 35 hp dominated the competitions, profitable the 392 km Good–Salon–Good race and the Good–La Turbie hill climb.
After the Mercedes 35 hp, two spinoff fashions adopted in 1901: the Mercedes 12/16 hp and the Mercedes 8/11 hp. In 1902, Mercedes launched a brand new collection of cars known as Mercedes-Simplex. The identify Simplex signified that the car was simpler to function.
Additionally in 1900, DMG bought a 185,000 m² plot of land in Untertürkheim, the place the Mercedes plant remains to be positioned as we speak. Sadly, Gottlieb Daimler didn’t reside to see this second, as he handed away on March 6, 1900, on the age of 65.
