Mercedes Benz

Preview March 2009

PREVIEW OF ANNIVERSARIES 2009

23 March 1909 – 100 years ago:
Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH was founded in Bissingen, a predecessor of Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH, and thus manufacturer of vehicles for the Maybach brand.

March 1979 – 30 years ago:
As part of its “long-term production order” (LPO), the board of management at Daimler-Benz AG decided to shift van production from Bremen to Düsseldorf and to produce the soon-to-be-launched Mercedes-Benz 190 passenger car in several variants at Bremen.

9–19 March 1989 – 20 years ago:
The new SL series from Mercedes-Benz (R 129) celebrated its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show. The 300 SL, 300 SL-24 and 500 SL were all exhibited.

15 March 1994 – 15 years ago:
Mercedes-Benz exhibited its new dynamic handling control system (FDR) in Arjeplog, Sweden. This was to be launched on the market a year later as the Electronic Stability Program (ESP), developed in collaboration with Bosch.


Other notable events:

14 March 1909 – 100 years ago: Benz & Cie. applied for a patent for its pre-chamber principle for diesel engines (DRP 230517). The inventor was the engineer Prosper L’Orange.

18 March 1919 – 90 years ago: Benz & Cie. registered Patent No. DRP 397142, a “combustion engine with ignition chamber”. This “funnel patent”, as it was known, gave rise to the first high-speed diesel engine, the first unit capable of producing the power output needed for motor vehicles.

8–18 March 1934 – 75 years ago: Two new Mercedes-Benz cars made their debut at the Berlin Motor Show: the rear-engined 130 (W 23), and the 500 K (W 29) with a 8-cylinder supercharged engine.

March 1949 – 60 years ago: The first series-built Unimog was produced at the Gebrüder Boehringer engineering works. The concept was taken over by Daimler-Benz in 1950 where it has been continuously developed ever since.

March 1954 – 55 years ago: Daimler-Benz AG set up an assembly plant in India as part of a joint venture with Tata.

March 1954 – 55 years ago: The Mercedes-Benz 220 a (W 180) made its debut. The new premium class “Ponton” model was the first car to feature the single-joint swing axle for greater comfort and driving safety.

March 1959 – 50 years ago: A Mercedes-Benz 190 D won an American fuel economy competition over 5,122 miles. The journey cost just six tenths of a cent per mile.

5 March 1959 – 50 years ago: The new basic truck types from Mercedes-Benz, the L 322, L 337 and L 327 export model were presented to the international press in Stuttgart. This marked the start of phasing out the long-nosed trucks at Daimler-Benz in favour of the short-nosed design.

12–22 March 1964 – 45 years ago: Mercedes-Benz exhibited a revised commercial vehicle sales programme at the Geneva Motor Show. The most important innovations were the OM 352 and OM 346 diesel engines with direct fuel injection.

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