Mercedes Benz

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Preview May 2008

May 1958 – 50 years ago:
The Gaggenau plant begins production of the LP 333 three-axle cab-over-engine truck. Dubbed the “millipede”, this heavy-duty truck has two steered front axles, gleaning maximum benefit from new registration regulations.

Other memorable dates:
May 1 – October 31, 1893 – 115 years ago: At the World Exhibition in Chicago, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft presents the first fully operational automobile ever shown publicly in the USA. The model on display is a modified version of the wire-wheel car. Gottlieb Daimler pays a visit to the exhibition, which runs for several months, while on honeymoon with his second wife Lina.
May 26, 1893 – 115 years ago: British businessman Frederick Richard Simms founds Daimler Motor Syndicate Ltd. in London. Although in its early days the company does not manufacture its own vehicles and engines, it sows the seeds of the automotive industry in Britain.
May 1898 – 110 years ago: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft unveils its first ever bus range which includes four basic models and engines developing four, six, eight and ten hp (2.9, 4.4, 5.9 and 7.4 kW), and is designed to carry six to 16 passengers.
May 26, 1908 – 100 years ago: Benz & Cie. sets up Ungarische Benz-Automobilfabrik AG in Budapest, Hungary, to handle production of passenger cars, trucks and buses.
May 1908 – 100 years ago: Benz brings a small and reasonably priced 10/18 hp car onto the market. The owner of the first model to leave the factory is Prince Waldemar, a nephew of the German Emperor Wilhelm II.
May 1928 – 80 years ago: The first units of the Mercedes‑Benz OE diesel tractor are delivered to their owners. This model is designed for road and agricultural use and produced at the Mannheim plant. It is powered by a water-cooled, horizontally mounted, single-cylinder prechamber diesel engine. The impressive 4.2-liter displacement of the single-cylinder unit develops 26 hp (19 kW) which is reached at an engine speed as low as 800 rpm. The purchase price is between 6,000 and 8,500 Reichsmark, depending on the model variant.
May 1958 – 50 years ago: Production of the O 317 was started in the Mannheim plant of Daimler-Benz: with a length of twelve meters the O 317 is the first modern-styled bus. It had capacity for 120 passengers.
May 7, 1998 – 10 years ago: Daimler-Benz AG and US-based Chrysler Corporation sign a contract bringing together the two companies, after discussions about a possible merger had become public knowledge just one day earlier.

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