Day 39     Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Bob visits the Mercedes-Benz museum, here is his report.

The museum is on 9 levels and has a great range of vehicles through the years.  I was there for 4 hours!

Karl Benz built this 3-wheeled vehicle in 1885 and patented it in 1886. It is the world’s first gas powered automobile.  

Gottlieb Daimler built this motorized 4-wheeled carriage in 1886. Benz and Daimler built their cars independently but close to Stuttgart. Daimler and his partner Wilhelm Maybach (name of the top of the line Mercedes-Benz) first invented a high-speed gasoline engine to fit this new mode of transportation. The engine was called a “grandfather’s clock” because of its design. 

Daimler also invented the first gasoline powered motorcycle called a ‘riding car’ in 1885. It had a top speed of 12 km/h.  It used the same “grandfather clock” motor as the car.

In 1893 Karl Benz built his first 4-wheeled automobile that used a kingpin steering system that allowed the 2 front wheels to turn with a different turning radius, making the vehicles safer to drive. Benz later added a second cylinder to the motor using a ‘boxer’ design with the pistons horizontal rather than vertical, whereas Daimler added a second cylinder in a V-shaped pattern.

A 1902 Mercedes Simplex. This is the oldest Mercedes model still in existence. Notice that the steering wheel is still on the right side. This was so the driver could see the ditch. The steering wheel was later moved to the left side as a bigger concern was the speed of the on-coming traffic.

The Mercedes model was named after the daughter of a salesman who pressured Daimler to build better racing motors around the turn of the century.

Both companies were innovators. In 1923 Benz & Cie started production of diesel engines.  In 1921 Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft added superchargers to their engines. Later in 1926, Benz & Cie, and Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft merged under the name Daimler-Benz AG. This 1928 Tourenwagen, a supercharged 180 hp vehicle, is an example of their merger. 

A 1936 Mercedes-Benz 500K Roadster that is worth about 1.3 million euros today.

Of course, a Gullwing from 1955. The structural frame was too high to permit normal doors.  Today’s value is $6.8 million.

And finally to end the day, a Mercedes-AMG GT concept car, with 816 hp.Before you exit the museum, you have to walk by the current models. For 232,000 euros you can drive away in this Mercedes-AMG GT63. AMG is the racing arm of Mercedes-Benz.

Must be a convention of Lederhosen models happening in town!