WHAT’S IN A NAME? How the Mercedes-Benz came to be

September 15, 2017
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Just like every person, place and thing, cars must have names in order to be identified. Without this fact … well, chaos would rule. When it comes to automobile names, carmakers ponder long and hard before betting their fortunes on the final decision. Here’s the story of how the Mercedes-Benz got its name.

This sleek 2005 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (Lot #735) will be one of several fine examples of the marque crossing the block at the 2017 Las Vegas Auction in October.

To get the story of the name, you have to first to back to 1890, when Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach engineered and sold the world’s first four-cylinder street cars that came from the factory ready to go. Maybach was Daimler’s chief engineer, who designed the car later purchased by wealthy businessman Emil Jellinek. Jellinek, who would modify Daimler vehicles and race them, later worked with Maybach to design cars that delivered more performance and reliability. In 1900, Jellinek decided to name one car he modified Mercedes, after his young daughter. With 35 horsepower, it was considered to be one of the world’s first “modern cars.” Meanwhile, Carl Benz, who has been credited with inventing the combustion engine, was working on his own line of cars, and merged with Daimler in 1926 to create the brand Mercedes-Benz.

For a look at what Mercedes-Benz vehicles and other collector cars are headed to the 2017 Las Vegas Auction, click HERE.