Daimler-Mercedes Engine of 1900
| · Large wheelbase. Wide track |
| · Pressed steel framework. Lightweight metals |
| · Low center of gravity (lower engine) |
| · 75 km/h (45 mph). 35 hp (950 rpm) · 300 to 1000 rpm (driver controlled) |
| · Light and high-performance engine: 4 in-line cylinders · Bore/stroke ratio: 116x140 mm · Displacement: 5918 cc · Cylinder heads part of the castings · Two carburetors, one for each cylinder pair · Driver controlled intake valve throttling · Two camshafts |
| · 4-forward/1-reverse transmission |
| · Low voltage ignition magnetos |
| · Aluminium crankcase (pioneer), horizontally divided |
| · Honeycomb radiator |
| · Comfortable ride |
Between April and October 1900, Maybach designed a completely new kind of car inspired by racing which would be called the Mercedes 35 hp when released in 1902. It featured:
- long wheelbase
- wide track
- low height
- unheard-of power from its 35 hp engine allowing it to reach 40 mph (64,4 km/h).
Emil Jellinek, a successful Austrian dealer and racing driver on the French Riviera who greatly admired Maybach's work, promised to buy a shipment of 36 automobiles for 550,000 goldmarks if Maybach could design a great race car for him following his specifications.
The prototype was finished in December 1900 and, in 1901 went on to have a string of racing successes. Its engine was baptized Daimler-Mercedes (Spanish for mercy) after Mercedes Jellinek, Emil's 10–year–old daughter. European high society bought the car in large numbers making it the commercial success that convinced the company directors there was a future in automobiles. Production increased greatly and DMG rapidly increased in size and number of employees. DMG officially registered the Mercedes trademark in June 1902.
In 1902, a fire destroyed DMG's Cannstatt facilities and the company moved to Stuttgart-Untertürkheim. Maybach continued with his innovations:
- a 6-cylinder/70 hp engine (1903–04)
- a pioneer aircraft engine: a high speed racing engine of 120 hp, with overhead inlet and exhaust valves and double ignition (1906)
DMG demoted him to an "Inventor's Office" causing him to leave the company again in 1907. DMG replaced him with Paul Daimler. That same year, the German Engineers Association (VDI) recognized Wilhelm Maybach as an honorary member.
Read more about this topic: Wilhelm Maybach
Famous quotes containing the word engine:
“The will is never free—it is always attached to an object, a purpose. It is simply the engine in the car—it can’t steer.”
—Joyce Cary (1888–1957)