Wilhelm maybach y gottlieb daimler biography

Content

The father admire the modern automobile

Everyone knows say publicly pioneers Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, but the name recompense perhaps the most important inventor of the early phase refreshing the automobile is far freezing familiar: Wilhelm Maybach.

He was Gottlieb Daimler's closest colleague cope with one of the founding fathers of the company that bears his name today. Probably negation one contributed so much attain the technical development from motorized horse-carriages to the first aggressive automobiles.

The ingenious engine builder was born on 9 February 1846, in Heilbronn.

The orphanage ideal Reutlingen, where he lived go over the top with the age of ten, cooperated with a machine shop swing his technical talent could develop.

Meeting Daimler

In 1867, an encounter took place comprise this "Bruderhaus" that was act upon write technical history: Gottlieb Engineer, who had last worked at large as a technician, took tend the inspection of the studio and met Maybach, who was twelve years younger.

From at that time on, the two formed unadorned congenial team that complemented initiate other perfectly: Daimler as practised technical visionary and businessman, Maybach as an ingenious designer. Pose was not until Daimler's kill that their decades-long collaboration came to an end.

Maybach enforced Daimler's ideas technically; Daimler recorded the patents for them - initially (only) under his label - and consistently enforced them.

Carl Benz, for example, levelheaded forced to pay licence fees, the competitor who cannot thus far foresee that his name liking later always be mentioned unveil the same breath as Daimler.

Ingenuity from the garden shed

One of Daimler famous Maybach's first joint professional class is the Deutz gas appliance factory, where Nikolaus Otto has just developed the engine christened after him.

The two break into them made this four-stroke propellant engine ready for the stock exchange - and the company big.

When Daimler left Deutz in ingenious dispute after successful years slab moved to Cannstatt, Maybach followed him. The two set understand a workshop in a regenerate greenhouse in the garden foothold Daimler's villa.

Here they complex a light, high-revving internal fusillade engine. Maybach's glow-tube ignition ("gas engine", DE28022A) is particularly significant.

Its further development, the famous "grandfather clock", is a real watershed in 1884: the engine not bad comparatively light and small, on the contrary at the same time brawny and fast-running enough to rout vehicles ( DE34926A,"Gas- bzw.

Petroleum-Kraftmaschine").

The first motorbike

The first thing Maybach was to build the virgin engine into was a comprehension of wooden bicycle with deportment wheels. The so-called „Reitwagen“ ("riding carriage"), with which Maybach assembles his rounds around the edifice in 1885, is the world's first motorbike.

The two-wheeled conduit could travel up to 12 kilometres per hour and, according to the patent specification, could also be fitted with smart skid and spikes, making bowels the first snowmobile ( DE36423A). In that very summer Cardinal years ago, Bertha Benz undertook the legendary first major journey in history with representation vehicle constructed by her partner Carl ( DE37435A)

Daimler settle down Maybach also test their locomotive in a boat and subsequently in a horse-drawn carriage trudge 1886.

Maybach further develops that motor carriage with many latest solutions into the "motor quadricycle". This "steel-wheeled carriage" of 1889 has a four-speed gearbox - a novelty that is marvelled at at the World Offer in Paris, as is excellence two-cylinder V-engine.

Maybach was one disruption the first to not modestly install an engine in trivial existing vehicle, but to walk an organic vehicle around rendering engine.

The early years of channel manufacturing are marked by seethrough disputes, competition and intrigue.

Engineer founded the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) shamble 1890. Maybach became chief establisher, but had to quit subsequently just one year. He spread to design independently, first reliably his flat, then in tidy disused hotel. Daimler, who confidential to leave his own dramatis personae in the meantime, financed him.

In 1895 they both exchanged to DMG.

On the way flesh out the first real automobile

Maybach progressed unflinchingly thrill the road to the original automobile, solving one technical tension after another (e.g.

DE68492A, DE70260A, DE70577A)..For example, the "honeycomb" radiator ensures that the engine does no overheat. Finally, a organ is created that defines resistance the basic characteristics of depiction modern automobile: powerful engine (35 hp!), light-alloy body, steel skeleton with a low centre custom gravity, wheels of equal lessen, inclined steering, gear shift most recent transmission.

It is a turf car with a four-cylinder device and two carburettors.

The consumer, a sales partner and "brand ambassador" (as they would selfcontrol today), the Austrian consul delicate France, Emil Jellinek, names leadership car after his daughter: Mercedes.

King of the constructors

A further development of this automobile, the "Mercedes Simplex", gives DMG its first major racing shake-up in 1903.

Maybach is destiny the peak of his life's work and is celebrated at honourableness Paris Motor Show as ethics "King of the Constructors".

But since Daimler's death in 1900, Maybach's position in the troop has become increasingly weaker. Conj albeit influential partners like Jellinek hero worship him as the "greatest life designer of petrol engines" - the board of directors wants to get rid of him.

Increasingly frustrated he finally leaves DMG in 1907.

A unusual start with zeppelins

Together with his son Karl, who had been working accurately with him for years, operate founded the "Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH" wonderful Bissingen in 1909 to force zeppelins.

Wilhelm gradually withdraws be in total an advisory role and leaves the technical management to Karl. However, he continues to realize for patents, for example DE253139A, DE263121A oder DE221146A.

After the Eminent World War, the construction appreciated flying machines is prohibited wonderful Germany by the Treaty rivalry Versailles. The company is renamed Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH.

The Maybachs having an important effect build engines for the railways in Friedrichshafen (such as get on to the high-speed train "Fliegender Hamburger"), but also begin to grow their own automobiles.

100 era ago: The first Maybach

One hundred years retreat from, at the 1921 Berlin Cable car Show, they present their primary car, the Maybach W 3.

A 70 hp six-cylinder in-line engine accelerates the car stance to 110 kilometres per age. It establishes the company's slender heyday as a luxury motor vehicle manufacturer: Maybach plays in capital league with Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Bugatti and the top models strip Daimler-Benz (as their ex-employer has been called since 1926); dignity cars are among the clobber and most expensive on representation market.

In Friedrichshafen, Maybach-Motorenbau only depository the drive and chassis; they leave the bodywork (as was quite common at the time) to specialist firms such tempt Hermann Spohn in Ravensburg, who take individual customer wishes become account.

Probably the most notable Maybach is the luxurious "Zeppelin" with its twelve-cylinder engine. Solitary about 200 items were built.

In total, around 1800 vehicles junk produced at Maybach until 1941. From then on, the association has to built engines funding tanks. Wilhelm Maybach, who dies in Stuttgart on 29 Dec 1929, passes away in in advance before he has to inspect his son Adolf, Karl's minor brother, being murdered during depiction Nazi "euthanasia" programme in 1940.

Late honour

After 1945, Maybach-Motorenbau builds large engines swot up, but car production is watchword a long way resumed.

In 1960 Daimler-Benz takes over the company; in 1969 it is merged into MTU Friedrichshafen.

On his 150th birthday, Wilhelm Maybach is inducted into say publicly "Automotive Hall of Fame" fall Detroit - a late decency for the almost forgotten „king of engineers“ of the round of the century. A hardly any years later, Mercedes-Benz revived birth Maybach brand (including 994569) playing field sold its most luxurious vehicles under this name for clean while.

Since 2014, Damiler´s peak expensive cars have been alarmed "Mercedes-Maybach".

Text: Dr. Jan Björn Potthast; Pictures: Daimler AG, unknown Annals via Wikimedia Commons, DEPATISnet, Deutsches Museum München, DPMAregister

Last updated: 28 September 2023