Automobiles
The Mercedes-Benz Museum
There are many carmakers, but Mercedes-Benz stands out, as it was Carl Benz who in 1886 took out a patent for the world’s first motor car. In 1926, Benz & Cie merged with the manufacturer of Mercedes cars, DMG, and from that time the newly established firm, Daimler-Benz, sold its cars under the name Mercedes-Benz, which is now also the name of the company. Located just around the corner from its corporate headquarters, the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart is dedicated to the history of the company and the automobile in general, and it’s one of the city's major tourist attractions. Spread over seven floors, the exhibition features more than 160 vehicles, each as splendid as the next, taking visitors on a journey from the invention of the car to the present day.
The exhibition starts with replicas of Carl Benz’s famous Patent-Motorwagen and the motorized carriage built by Gottlieb Daimler & Wilhelm Maybach in 1886, the world’s second car powered by an internal combustion engine and the first to have four wheels. Other highlights from the early years include Daimler’s motorized quadricycle, which premiered at the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris, a Benz Victoria from 1893, and the oldest motorized truck in existence, built by DMG in 1898. Further notable cars include the oldest surviving Mercedes, a 40-hp Simplex from 1902, as well as a 60-hp touring limousine, a Mercedes‑Benz 500 K Special Roadster, and a gullwinged Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupé. Motorsports fans will appreciate the many racing cars at the end of the exhibition, such as the fabulous 200-hp, 200-km/h Blitzen-Benz from 1909.
www.mercedes-benz.comReader Comments
Dirk
When you take the lift to the 8th floor and enter the exhibition, the first thing you see is a stuffed horse, and a quote attributed to Emperor Wilhelm II: »Ich glaube an das Pferd. Das Automobil ist eine vorübergehende Erscheinung.« (‘I do believe in the horse. The automobile is no more than a transitory phenomenon.’) It’s a great start to a great museum. Be sure to check out the highlights tour in advance so that you don’t miss the main exhibits.
Kurt
Patent Motor Car № 1 was a prototype, and Benz repurposed its various bits & bobs for other projects after he received his patent in 1886. Around 1895, Benz & Cie sought out parts of the original vehicle and used them to reassemble the motor car that is now on display at the Deutsches Museum in Munich. Benz made two more prototypes, in 1886 and 1888, before the first production car was put on the market in 1888. The three-wheeled motor car at the Science Museum in London is from this marketable series.
Bettina
From the Mercedes-Benz Museum it is only 15 minutes by bicycle to the Gottlieb Daimler Memorial, housed in the workshop where Daimler, together with Wilhelm Maybach, developed the first high-speed four-stroke combustion engine (1883) and the first motorcycle (1885).