Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz were both born in Germany in towns that were 60 miles away from each other. Daimler was born March 17th, 1834. Benz was born a decade later on November 25th. The two boys did not grow up together and did not have many things in common. However, there was one thing that both boys loved - they loved to work with machines!They both grew up away from each other - but the two of them would build cars in their spare time and did it in such an unusual way that many people were skeptical about how and what they were doing. We do know that the two boys did not know what the other was doing until later in their lives.
Carl Benz built his first motorized tricycle in 1886 and then his first four wheeler (which he named the Victoria) in 1893. The first production car that he produced was named the Benz Volvo and it was built in 1894. The Volvo participated in the world’s first recorded car race - the Paris-Rouen race. Benz produced his first truck in 1895.
Gottlieb Daimler was just as busy during those years. In 1886 he produced a horseless carriage. Two years later he made a business deal with William Steinway to create products for the U.S. Steinway helped to produce Mercedes cars from 1904 to 1907 until a fire shut them down.
Many found it ironic that Daimler loved to work on cars and to produce them because it was said that he hated to drive. His work made him a legend and he earned the nickname “Father of Modern Automobiles”. In 1900 Daimler died and left the control of his company to his chief engineer - Wilhelm Mayback.
On November 22nd, 1900 Daimler Motoren Gesselschat created a special car for Emil Jellinek. Jellinek wanted to name the care after his ten year old daughter - Mercedes. This new Mercedes luxury car was equipped with 35 horsepower and a top speed of 55 mph.
Benz and Daimler loved the idea of racing and saw the potential that it held. Because of it they produced many race cars and entered into many of the competitions. Daimler managed to overshadow Benz in these competitions up until 1908. During the 1908 French Grand Prix Benz took third and second place while driving a Mercedes.
Both Benz and Daimler factories were converted into production sites for war materials during World War I. After the war was finished they both began to produce their personal cars once more.
Through the years they have had their ups and downs - but both have managed to stay on top. Together they have created their own unique style of cars and worked to improve their line-ups every year. Some of their best works are the C-Class and S-Class.



