Thursday, January 7, 2010

Mercedes Simplex



The first motor-driven buggy from 1888 was tested by the wife of Carl Benz (as in Mercedes-Benz). She packed up her two boys and left home for a day. When she needed to stop for gasoline she got it at the local pharmacy.

Ironically, history says Daimler, generally considered to be the father of modern automobiles never liked to drive, if, indeed he ever learned to drive. On March 6, 1990, Daimler died, leaving control of his company to his chief engineer Wilhelm Mayback.

By November 22 of that year, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschat had produced a special car for Emil Jellinek. Jellinek named the car after his ten-year-old daughter Mercedes. Lighter and smaller, the new Mercedes had 35 hp and a top speed of 55 mph!

The Simplex is considered to be the first Mercedes that was built in 1901. Designed by Wilhelm Maybach it had 35hp and stood long and low to the ground. Emil Jellinek, an Austrian businessman, was instrumental in the development of the vehicle. When he commissioned this sports car, he exclaimed, "I don't want the car of today or the car of tomorrow, but the car of the day after tomorrow." Jellinek bought a fleet of 36 and named them Mercedes (in Spanish this means grace) after his young daughter.

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