Description
In the first decade of the last century, perhaps the best cars in the world came from Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft in Cannstatt, Germany.
Derived from the earliest cars designed and built by Gottlieb Daimler, the design was in the hands of the redoubtable Wilhelm Maybach in 1900. The name Mercedes (originally Mercédѐs) came from Emil Jellinek in Nice, France. His order for 30 vehicles with a modern design was unprecedented in size and also in terms of conditions. The cars had to meet his specifications for lightweight and low profile, and they all had to bear the name of his daughter, Mercédѐs.
The new Mercedes cars were much more advanced than previous Daimlers, with large four-cylinder engines, efficient honeycomb radiators, strong frames and standardized controls, resulting in Daimler's decision to add the term 'Simplex' to their name.
First introduced with 35 hp in 1901, the new Mercedes cars almost won the many competitions during “Nice Week” in March. His dominance was so complete that the Secretary General of the ACF declared: “We have entered the Mercedes era.”
Competition across Europe and in the United States spurred Mercedes to develop increasingly larger, faster and more reliable cars. They won races and regularly set speed records, enhancing both the experience of the company and its designers and the recognition of the brand on both sides of the Atlantic in the hands of legends such as William K. Vanderbilt, Camille Jenatzy, Christian Lautenschlager and Ralph dePalma
The Mercedes-Simplex was built in a bewildering range of models, from 1760 cc 11 hp to 9¼ liter 65 hp giants, the latter 45-55-65 hp models sharing a common piston stroke and varying only in the bore of the cylinder blocks from 120 to 150 mm. Their price was breathtaking, but so was their performance, reliability and simplicity.
