In 1886, Karl Benz created the very first petrol-powered car. This was the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, which cost in the region of $1,000 (£766) to make. This is equivalent to $26,337 / £20,173 today.
In 1901, the first Mercedes automobile was marketed by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG). Gottlieb Daimler was an engineer who had previously worked alongside Karl Benz to create the first petrol-powered engine.
Austrian automobile entrepreneur Emel Jellinek had been working with DMG for some time, and in 1902 named the original Mercedes 35hp after his daughter, Mercedes.
The Mercedes-Benz brand was formed in 1926, when Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler merged their companies together, and began to produce the very first Mercedes-Benz branded vehicles.
Since then, Mercedes-Benz has grown into one of the most recognised and renowned car manufacturers across the globe. Their company slogan, ‘the best or nothing’, rings true with the brand’s values, and their cars are considered to be some of the most luxurious and highly sought after vehicles in the world.
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Who was Mercedes Jellinek?
Mercedes Jellinek was the daughter of automobile entrepreneur Emel Jellinek, who named one of the first automobiles after her.
At the Paris Automobile Exhibition in 1902, Emel Jellinek hung a large picture of his daughter.
(credit: mercedes-benz.com)
However, the story of Mercedes is a tragic one. She was happily married until World War I, which saw her and her husband lose everything. She had two children, but by 1918 Mercedes was begging for food on the streets. A couple of years later, she walked out on her husband and children, marrying a poverty-stricken sculpture and becoming a singer.
Mercedes died at age 39 in Vienna from bone cancer. She never shared her father’s passion for automobiles.
The Mercedes logo
The famous three star Mercedes logo actually started as four stars. Both the four star and three star logo were originally registered as trademarks. However, it was only the three star design that was used.
What do the three points on the Mercedes logo symbolise? Adolf Daimler, the son of Gottlieb Daimler, envisioned universal motorisation – vehicles on land, water and air. This is symbolised by the three-pointed star on the logo.