mb engine history
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
1/133
ThehistoryofthegasolineengineatMercedes-
Benz
THEHISTORYOFTHEGASOLINEENGINEATMERCEDES-BENZ...............................2
THEDEVELOPMENTOFTHEGASOLINEENGINE.......................................................4
CARLBENZANDTHEHIGH-SPEEDFOUR-STROKEENGINE...................................13
GOTTLIEBDAIMLER,WILHELMMAYBACHANDTHEGRANDFATHERCLOCK..24
THEMERCEDES-BENZGASOLINEENGINEFROM1926ON..................................46
MERCEDES-BENZGASOLINEENGINESAFTERTHESECONDWORLDWAR...........53
THECARBURETORERACOMESTOANEND...........................................................79
MERCEDES-BENZGASOLINEENGINESINRESEARCHANDMOTORSPORTS.........108
TIMELINE:THEHISTORYOFTHEGASOLINEENGINEATMERCEDES-BENZANDITS
PREDECESSORCOMPANIES..................................................................................120
PressInformation
Date:
June2008
Contact:
JosefErnst Telephone:+49(0)711-17-764
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
2/133
Page2
ThehistoryofthegasolineengineatMercedes-
Benz
Unparalleleddevelopmentofthegasolineenginesincetheinventionoftheautomobilein1886
TechnologicalpotentialfarfromexhaustedThefour-strokegasolineenginewastheheartofthefirstmodern
automobiledesignedbyGottliebDaimlerandCarlBenzin1886.
Independentlyofoneanother,thetwopioneersdevelopedsmall,
high-speedengines,basedonNikolausOttosfour-stroke
principle,forthedrivesystemofnewautomobiles.Sincetheuseof
theseenginesintheBenzpatentmotorcarandDaimlersmotorcarriage,thefour-strokegasolineenginehasexperienced
unparalleleddevelopment.
Withtheirconstantinnovation,DaimlerAGanditspredecessor
companieshaveplayedanimportantroleinthesuccessstoryof
thisinternalcombustionengineformorethan120years.Itwas
thankstotheirtirelessworkthatthesingle-cylinderpowerunitof
theautomobilepioneersbecameanultra-moderndrivesystem,especiallyforpassengercars.
TheevolutionofthegasolineengineinMercedes-Benzvehiclesis
thereforethestoryofthecontinuousimprovementofnumerous
details.Evenwithinindividualengineseries,continuousrevision
wastestamenttothepursuitoftheperfectengine.Timeandagain,
theengineersincreasedoutputandtorqueontheonehand,and
reducedconsumptionandemissionsontheother.Thisprocessincorporatedbothdirectresultsfromcorporateresearchandthe
experienceMercedes-Benzgainedfromtheuseofgasoline
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
3/133
Page3
Thishistoryisforeverbeingrewritten,becausetheMercedes-
Benzenginespecialistsarenotcontenttositontheirlaurelsand
declarethemselvessatisfiedwithoneofthehighstandardsthat
theysetforthemselvestimeandagain.Thecurrentgenerationof
gasolineenginescanalwaysbeimprovedfurther,ashasbeen
shownby125yearsofexperience.Thatishowlongithasbeen
sinceGottliebDaimlerandWilhelmMaybachresignedfromthe
Deutzenginefactoryinordertodeveloptheirhigh-speedfour-
strokegasolineengine,calledtheGrandfatherClockbecauseofits
appearance.By1883,theenginehadalreadyworkedforthefirst
time,and,twoyearslater,CarlBenzsfour-strokeenginewasalso
readyforuse.Sincetheseenginespubliclypoweredtheworlds
firstautomobilesin1886,theevolutionofgasolineengine
technologyhasprogressedwithuninterrupteddynamism.The
latestexampleisthenewDIESOTTOenginepresentedinthe
Mercedes-BenzF700researchvehicleattheFrankfurt
InternationalMotorShow(IAA),whichcombinestheadvantages
ofthegasolineenginewiththoseofthedieselengine.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
4/133
Page4
Thedevelopmentofthegasolineengine
AdrivesystemusingcontrolledexplosionsGasolineasafuelusedatalaterstagePatentforthefour-strokegasolineenginein1877ThemostimportantpowersourceduringtheIndustrial
Revolutionwasthesteamengine.However,thesemachineswere
solargeandheavythattheywerehardlysuitableforpowering
automobiles.Thiswasdueinparticulartothespatiallyseparated
generationandmechanicaluseofsteam.Incategoriesbelowthe
railwaylocomotiveandthetractionengine,whichwasprincipally
usedinagriculture,novehiclecouldbeefficientlyoperatedbya
steamengine.Ofcourse,thereweredifferentmodelsofsteam-
poweredautomobilesandtrucks.However,thepursuitofan
alternativeengineforroadvehiclesaswellasforsmall-scale
tradesandindustrywastobecomeaseparatechapterinthe
historyofthesteamengine.
Agoodsolutionfortheengineneedsofsmallcompaniesandcrafts
businessesappearedtobethedirect-action,coal-gas-operatedinternalcombustionengine.Theinfrastructureforprovidingsuch
engineswascreatedinthefirstthirdofthenineteenthcentury:in
1807,theworldsfirstevergasstreetlightwasinstalledinLondon
bywayoftrial.Afewyearslater,thedevelopmentofapubliccoal
gasnetworkbeganintheBritishcapital,andothercitiesand
industrialtownsaroundtheworldfollowedsuitsoonafterwards.
Gaspistolsandpowderengines
Thedreamoftheinternalcombustionenginewasconsiderably
olderthanthe asnetwork however.TheDutchscientist
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
5/133
Page5
ChristiaanHuygens(16291695)hadalreadydevelopedan
atmosphericenginethatoperatedwithgunpowder.In1673,
Huygensdemonstratedhispowderengineinpublic.Itachievedits
taskinthattheexplosionofthepowderproducedapartial
vacuuminthecylinder,andthepistonthatwasshotupwardsby
theexplosionwasthenpusheddownagainbytheatmosphere.
However,Huygenswasunabletoproducecontinuousrunningof
theenginefromthissingleignition.
Theprincipleoftheignitionofgasusinganelectricsparkhadalso
beenknownforalongtime.Amongstthepredecessorsofthe
moderngasolineenginewasthegaspistol,demonstratedin1776
bytheItalianscientistAlessandroVolta(17451827).Inorderto
demonstratetheworkingofelectricity,heignitedamixtureof
methaneandairinaglasscylinderwiththeaidofanelectric
spark.Thesubsequentexplosionforcedthestopperoutofthe
cylinder.
Lenoirsgasengine
Theworldsfirsttrulyviableinternalcombustionenginewasthe
atmospherictwo-strokegasenginebyJeanJosephEtienneLenoir
(18221900).TheLuxembourg-borninventordevelopedhis
double-actingtwo-strokeenginein1859.IntheLenoirengine,the
non-compressedmixtureofcoalgasandairwasalternatelyand
electricallyignitedonbothsidesofadiskpiston.Fortheignition,
LenoirusedthesparkcoildevelopedbyDanielRuhmkorff.
However,thepowerwasproducednotbytheexplosionofthe
mixture,butbytheatmosphericpressurethatcounteractedthepartialvacuumcreatedbycombustion.
InJanuary1860,Lenoirshowedhisengineinpublicforthefirst
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
6/133
Page6
time,anditwasmetwithgreatenthusiasm.Inthefollowingyears,
severalhundredenginesofthistypewerebuilt,withanoutputof
between0.25hp(0.19kW)and4hp(2.9kW).Owingtothehigh
operatingcostscomparedwithasteamenginewiththesame
output,theLenoirgasenginewasfavoredprimarilyinthoseareas
wherecontinuousoperationwasnotrequiredi.e.wherethegas
enginewasabletomakeuseofitsadvantageofalwaysbeing
quicklyreadyforuse.
Fatherofthefour-strokegasolineengine:NikolausAugust
Otto
TheLenoirenginealsoinspiredthebusinessmanNikolausAugust
Otto(18321891)andhisbrotherWilhelmtoexperimentwith
enginedesign.ShortlyafterthepresentationoftheFrenchgas
engine,theyoungmen,whowereoriginallyfromtheTaunusarea
ofGermany,begantheirownexperimentstotrytobuildapower
machinesuperiortotheLenoirsystem.Afirstpatentforthe
provisionoffuelbyturningethylalcoholtogaswasdeniedthe
twoinventorsinPrussiain1861.Fromamodernperspective,this
rejectionseemsparticularlyincomprehensible,since,withthis
concept,theOttobrotherswerealreadyenvisagingtheuseoftheir
enginetopowervehicles.
Owingtoincreasingdifficulties,WilhelmOttosoonwithdrewfrom
theenginedevelopmentbusiness.Nikolaus,however,continued
theexperimentsandhadhisfirstmodelenginebuiltin1861.It
becamethestartingpointforthefour-strokegasengine,the
inventorreflectedinretrospect.In1862,Ottofinallyhadafour-cylindertrialenginebuiltbyMichaelJosephZonsatthe
mechanicalworkshopofJ.ZonsinCologne.Throughthe
introductionofanewcompressionstrokeduringearlier
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
7/133
Page7
experiments,Ottohadworkedoutthefunctioningofthefour-
strokeprocess,whichhenowimplementedinthismodel.Every
operatingcycleoftheengineconsistedofthefollowingsteps:
mixtureintake,compression,ignition,anddischargeofthe
exhaustgas.Thisfour-strokeengineappearsparticularly
visionarytoday,since,eventhen,manyofitsdesign-engineering
detailsweresimilartothoseoflaterengines.
However,thedesignofthepistonswasunusual:eachcylinderwas
equippedwithanauxiliarypiston.Thiswasintendedtominimize
thestrengthoftheignitioninthattheexplosionactedinitiallyon
theoperatingpistonwhichwaspressedintotheauxiliarypiston
andcompressedtheaircontainedtherein.Theforcethus
transmittedwaspassedonbytheauxiliarypistontothe
crankshaft.Themechanicalactionwasthereforedelayedand
cushionedbytheair.Inthisway,Ottosoughttoobtain
particularlysmoothrunning.Insteadhowever,theunpredictable
actionoftheauxiliarypistonproducedveryirregularrunning,and
ultimatelydestroyedthetrialengine.
Moveawayfromthedirect-actingfour-cylinderengine
Asaresultoftheseproblems,Ottodecidedtobuildan
atmosphericengine.Inanatmosphericinternalcombustion
engine,theexplosiondidnotdamagethemechanicsbecausethe
pressureoftheexplosionmovedthepistonupwards.However,a
mechanicallinkagetothepowertrainwasproducedonlyattop
deadcenter.Afterthecoolingofthecombustiongasesinthe
cylinder,theatmosphericpressureandtheweightofthepistongeneratedthepower.
Thestructureagaincontainedanauxiliarypiston.Whenthegas-
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
8/133
Page8
airmixturewasignited,theexplosioninitiallyshottheoperating
pistonupwards,thelatterconnectedviaahollowpistonrodtothe
auxiliarypiston.Bothpistonswerenowmechanicallycoupled.The
atmosphericpressurethusactedonbothpistonsandgenerated
powerinthatitforcedtheoperatingandauxiliarypistonstothe
floor.Atbottomdeadcenter,thepistonswerereleasedfromone
another,andtheauxiliarypistonroseupagainbecauseofthe
inertiaoftheflywheel.There,theoperatingpistoncontactedit
afterthenextexplosion.Withhiscomplexarrangement,Nikolaus
Ottoobtainedtheintendedseparationofthedriveshaftfromthe
impactoftheexplosions.
MechanicalengineeringcompanyN.A.Otto&Cie.
WhenOttohadthisenginepatented,hehadhardlyanyfundsleft.
Inthistimeoffinancialneed,helpwasprovidedthroughcontact
withtheCologne-basedengineerEugenLangenwhomhemetin
1864.Thetwomenfoundedthemechanicalengineeringcompany
N.A.Otto&Cie.,inwhichLangenwasalimitedpartner.Eugen
Langenalsocontributedtothesuccessofthebusinessasan
engineer.Hedevelopedthefreewheelclutch,whichwasnecessary
forasmoothchangebetweenthepowertransmission,duringthe
actionoftheatmosphericpressure,fromthetoothedrackofthe
auxiliarypistonstothedriveshaft,andthefreewheelingafterthe
ignitionofthemixture.In1866,forthethusamendedengine,Otto
wasfinallygrantedthecovetedPrussianpatenthisoriginal
designhadbeenpatentedonlyelsewhereinEurope.
AttheWorldExhibitioninParisin1867,OttosenginewasfavoredoverLenoirsengineandothergasengines.After
measuringthegasconsumption,thejuryevenawardedtheGrand
PrixtotheGermanenginebecauseOttosenginerequiredless
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
9/133
Page9
thanhalfthegasofotherengines.Thisinternationalapprovalwas
thebasisforproductiononalargerscale,andbroughtthe
companyeconomicstability.Aswellastheincorporationofthe
company,in1872thenamewaschangedtoGasmotoren-Fabrik
DeutzAG(DeutzGasEngineFactory).In1872,GottliebDaimler
wasappointedmemberofthedirectorateofGasmotoren-Fabrik
DeutzAG,acompanywhichhademergedfromN.A.Otto&Cie.
DaimleralsobroughtthedesignengineerWilhelmMaybachwith
himtoOtto.In1875,Maybachwasalreadyattemptingtoconvert
theatmosphericenginetogasolineoperation.Hisfirstsuccesswas
obtainedwithawadofragssoakedingasoline,whichheheldin
frontoftheenginesgassupply.
Developmentofthedirect-actingfour-strokeengine
ForNikolausOtto,however,theimprovementoftheengineitself
wasmoreurgentthanthedevelopmentofanalternativesourceof
fuelusinggasoline,sincethedesignoftheatmosphericengine
limitedtheenginesoutputtoamaximumof3hp(2.2kW)aslong
asthedimensionshadtoremaininacontextthatcateredtothe
craftsandsmallbusinesses.Hot-airenginesbyother
manufacturersatthistimewerealreadyreachingupto8hp(5.9
kW).In1876,Ottothereforedevelopedadirect-actingfour-stroke
gasenginewithpre-compressionofthecharge,whichachieved3
hp(2.2kW)at180rpm.Intheprocess,headoptedtheflame
ignitionandslidevalvegearfromtheatmosphericgasengine.
WilhelmMaybachimprovedthisengine.Paralleltothe
developmentofthefour-strokeengine,atmosphericgasengines
werestillbeingbuiltinDeutz.Thelastoftheseengineswaspurchasedbyacustomeronlyafter1900.
In1877,NikolausOttowasgrantedGermanReichPatentNo.532
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
10/133
Page10
forhisengine.Inparticular,hehadtheso-calledstratifiedcharge
patented:heassumedthatthesmoothanduniformignition
dependedonthedistributionofmixtureconcentrationinthe
cylinder.Ottomentionedhisrevolutionaryinventionofthefour-
strokeprocess,asisstillusedtoday,onlyunderItem4ofthe
patent.Hehadnotevenrecognizedthesignificanceofthis
inventionhimselfatthetime.
Multi-cylinderenginesbyDeutz
ThebasisforNikolausOttostwinenginein1879wastwo
parallel-mountedfour-strokesingle-cylinderenginesthathad
ignitionsdisplacedat360degrees,andthatactedtogetherona
crankshaft.Thisverysmoothlyrunningenginepoweredin
particulardynamosthatsuppliedelectricalenergyforlighting.
Inthesameyear,GottliebDaimlerdesignedtheDeutzcompound
engine,whichoperatedwithtwohigh-pressurecylindersandone
low-pressurecylinder.Inmechanicalterms,thisconstruction
correspondedtotheconnectingoftwofour-strokesingle-cylinder
unitswithonetwo-strokesingle-cylinder.Owingtoits
inefficiency,theoneenginethatwasdeliveredtoacustomerfor
testpurposeswasrepossessedbyDeutzin1884asunworkable,
andwasscrappedin1925.
Mobilityforthegasolineengine
Byaround1880,thegasolineenginewithflameignitionhad
becomeestablishedasastationaryengineformanyapplications.Thisinternalcombustionenginebecamethebasisofmodern
enginetechnology.However,itsusewasstillrestrictedto
stationaryoperation.Then,in1880,arailwaycarwitha
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
11/133
Page11
stationarygasolineengineasdrivesystemwascreatedat
HannoverscheMaschinenbauAG(Hanomag).Theengine,
weighingapproximatelyoneton,hadalsobeenconvertedfrom
gastogasolineoperation,andwasmountedonatractorunitfor
streetcars.Forroadvehicles,however,the3-hp(2.2-kW)single-
cylinderenginewasstilltooheavy.
In1884,NikolausOttodevelopedamagneto-electriclow-voltage
impulseignitionforslow-runningstationaryengines.Thismade
operationwithgasolinesimpler,andaboveallsafer,thanwith
sparkignition.Althoughthisignitiondevicewasheavyand
expensive,itprovedtobeveryreliable.BecauseOttodidnot
patentthecontact-breakingignition,thetechnologywasalsoused
byrivalcompanies;forexample,Maybachsracingcarbuiltin
1900alsohadalow-voltageimpulseignition.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
12/133
Page12
CancellationofOttospatent
HanomagpursuedanactionforannulmentagainstOttospatent
forthefirsttimein1882.Hanomagsprincipalargumentwasthe
stratifiedchargeofthemixtureemphasizedbyOtto:thisalleged
prerequisiteforthesmoothrunningofafour-strokeenginehad,in
themeantime,beenfoundtobeincorrect.In1886,theSupreme
CourtoftheGermanReichfoundagainstNikolausOtto,andthe
patentwascancelled.Othercompaniescouldnowofficiallybuild
engineswithfour-andtwo-strokeworkingprocessesindesigns
thatwerepreviouslyprotectedbytheDeutzpatent.Thislegal
rulingalloweddramaticgrowthintheengineindustryinashort
periodoftime.
Ottospioneeringtechnologicalachievementsshouldinnowaybe
underestimatedfromamodernperspectiveasaresultofthelegal
rulingof1886.Withhisengine,heundoubtedlypavedthewayfor
developmentssuchastheDaimlerandBenzautomobiles,and
thesetwoautomotivepioneersthemselvesopenlybuilton
NikolausOttosworkastheywereconvincedofthetechnological
merits.Indoingso,fromthebeginning,Benzfocusedonthe
efficientintegrationofthedrivesystemintoaroadvehicle,while
Daimlerworkedprimarilyonauniversalenginewithwhichhe
soughttopowerasmanydifferentmeansoftransportaspossible.
Theideaofmobilitybymeansofthefour-strokegasolineengine
wasrealizedbybothpioneers,althoughtheirsolutionsdifferedin
theirdetails.
Manyyearslater,in1996,NikolausAugustOttoandWilhelmMaybachwerehonoredfortheirachievementsinengineeringand
automotivetechnology:thetwopioneerswereinductedintothe
AutomotiveHallofFame.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
13/133
Page13
CarlBenzandthehigh-speedfour-strokeengine
Benzpatentmotorcar:Single-cylinderwithelectricignitionVehicleswithhorizontally-opposedengineslaunchedin1897
Four-valvetechnologyinracingcarsCarlBenzhadprobablydecidedin1876tobuildaroadvehicle
drivenbyaninternalcombustionengine.Asitsdrivesystem,he
wantedtouseatwo-strokeengine,sincethefour-stroke
technologywasprotectedbyNikolausOttospatent.In1879,the
enginehadbeendevelopedtoastagewhereitrancontinuously.
TheBenztwo-strokeunitsweresoonverysuccessfulasstationary
engines.However,CarlBenzsbusinesspartnersinitiallyresisted
the(costly)developmentofvehicledrivesystems.Asaresult,
BenzleftGasmotoren-FabrikMannheim(MannheimGasEngine
Factory),andtogetherwithotherpartnersestablishedthe
companyBenz&Co.,RheinischeGasmotoren-Fabrik(RhenishGas
EngineFactory)in1883.
In1884,Benztookthegreatleaptowardsthehigh-speedengineforanautomobile.Now,hewantedtodevelopafour-stroke
enginetobeusedinhisvehicle.Benzstartedworkonthefour-
strokeengineinfall1884intheknowledgethatOttospatentwas
stillinforce.Thiswasstillthecasewhenhismotorcarcompleted
thefirstroadtestsonthefactorypremisesin1885.Thelegal
contextforDaimlersandMaybachsenginedevelopmentwas
similar,althoughBenzandDaimlerwerenotawareofeachothers
work.AtthetimethatCarlBenzdemonstratedhisautomobileinpublicin1886,Ottospatentwasbeingnullified.Nowtherecould
beopencompetitionforthemotorcarwithfour-strokeengine.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
14/133
Page14
Single-cylinderwithelectricignition
Fortheenginecreatedin1885,CarlBenzusedelectrichigh-
voltageignition.Thishummerignitiontheoreticallypermitted
higherenginespeedthanthehot-tubeignitioninventedby
Daimler.However,thisdidnotyetplayaroleinthefirstengines,
becausetheywerealongwayoffexhaustingtheengine-speed
potential.Usingadynamo,Benzobtainedtheelectricalenergyfor
theenginesusedforthefirsttimeinOctober1885intrialsinthe
Benzmotorcar.Becausethisearlyformofalternatordidnotwork
inasufficientlyreliablemannerunderroughroadconditions,
however,helaterdecidedtoinstallabattery.
InJanuary1886,Benzfiledthepatentapplicationforhismotor
car,andinNovemberofthesameyearhewasgrantedGerman
ReichPatentNo.37435forhisthree-wheeledvehiclewithgas-
fueledengine.Thewater-cooled,single-cylinder,four-stroke
enginedeveloped0.75hp(0.66kW)at400rpmfroma
displacementof954cubiccentimeters(bore90millimetersx
stroke150millimeters).Theintakeofthemixtureformedbya
surfacecarburetorwascontrolledbyanautomaticslidevalveand
theoutletbyaverticalpoppetvalveinthecylinderhead.
Forbettercooling,theenginehadanopencrankcase;together
withtheignitionandcarburetor,itweighed95.3kilograms.The
weightseemedparticularlyheavygiventhefiligreesteel-tube
constructionofthevehicleframe.Thesingle-cylinderenginewas
mountedhorizontallyabovetherearaxleandhadacrankshaft
runningverticallywithbalanceweightsandahorizontalflywheel.Inhispatentmotorcar,CarlBenzusedadifferentialinaroad
vehicleforthefirsttime.Thisallowedreliablesteeringofthe
three-wheelvehicle.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
15/133
Page15
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
16/133
Page16
Risingproductionfigures
In1888,BenzpresentedhismotorcarattheEngineandWorking
MachineExhibitioninMunich.Asalescontractforthecarwas
drawnup,butthedealwasnotclosed.Theinterestofapotential
customerneverthelessshowedthattherewasamarketforthe
newvehicles.Theimprovementoftheengineappearedtobean
opportunitytoexpandthemarket;thecompanyitselfwasalso
encouragingthis.Benz&Co.thuscommencedproductionof
marineenginesin1890.Theinnovationsimplementedinthese
in1893,Benzinstalledathrottlevalvebetweenthecarburetor
andengineinordertobeabletobettercontroltheoutputofthe
enginealsobenefitedcarengines.
Thecarenginesegmentinfactmadeuponlyasmallpartoftotal
productionatfirst.By1893,Benzhadbuiltatotalof1,000
gasolineengines,butfrom1886to1893only69automobileshad
beenbuilt.Automobileproductionthenincreasedsignificantly
from1894.Paralleltothis,theoutputoftheenginesalso
increasedfrom0.75hp(0.55kW)inpatentmotorcarmodelno.1
to3hp(2.2kW)fromtheone-literengineofthemostpowerful
patentmotorcarmodelno.3.
Innovationsforignitionandcooling
In1893,Benzinstalledanewignitionsystem.Insteadofthe
previoussolution,inwhichaprimarycircuitremained
permanentlyswitchedonandthebatterywasaccordinglydrained
quickly,theprimarycircuitwasnowswitchedononlyatatotalof70degreesofcrankrotation.Thatsavedenergyandalsoallowed
theintegrationofanignitionretard.Benzarrangedthisinsucha
waythatitcouldbeoperatedbymeansofaleverfromthedrivers
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
17/133
Page17
seat.In1894,thenewenginefortheBenzVelo,amongstothers,
wasprovidedwiththisignitionretard.Theenginedeveloped1.5
hp(1.1kW)at450rpmfromadisplacementofalittleoverone
liter(110millimeterborex110millimeterstroke).TheBenzVelo
isconsideredtobetheworldsfirstseries-producedautomobile.
Withitshighproductionfiguresofapproximately1,200vehicles,
itthushelpedraiseBenz&Co.(from1899onwardsBenz&Cie.)
tothestatusoftheworldslargestautomobilemanufacturerinthe
yearsbefore1900.
Besidestheignition,coolingprovedtobeaproblemwiththe
increasingoutputoftheengines.Thus,Benzcooledthe5-hp(3.7-
kW)engineofhiscarwithacirculatingpump,forexample,when
thecirculationproducedbythethermo-siphonactionofthewater
wasnolongersufficient.From1895,thecoolingwasalsosupplied
withacondenserforcoolantrecovery,andlatertherewasfirstthe
finned-tuberadiator(1896),andthenthefinnedradiator(1903).
Enterthehorizontally-opposedpistonengine
Tenyearsaftertheinventionoftheautomobile,thepotentialof
thesingle-cylinderenginesforuseinpassengercarsappearedto
bestartingtodecline.Thesearchforamorepowerfuland,atthe
sametime,moresophisticatedengineinevitablyledtoengines
withseveralcylinders.In1897,CarlBenz,whoin1896hadsetup
aseparatedepartmentformotorvehicleproductioninhis
Mannheim-basedcompany,addressedthetaskofdesigningatwo-
cylinderengine.Thefirstprototypestillhadcylinderscoupledin
parallel,andhadsimilaritieswiththelaterin-lineengines.However,thetwinenginewasinitiallyonlyadesign,andBenz
insteadpursuedanalternativeconcept.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
18/133
Page18
Hedevelopedatwo-cylinderenginewithhorizontalcylinders,
whosepistonsworkinginoppositedirectionsactedonacommon
crankshaftandprovidedgoodbalancingofmasses.Benzcalled
thisengine,whichisknowntodayasahorizontally-opposed
pistonengine,thecontraengine,owingtotheopposingactionof
thepistons.Afirst4.2-litervariantwasinstalledinbusesasearly
as1898.However,themorematured1.7-literand2.7-liter
engineswereeventuallylaunchedin1899withoutputsof5hp(4
kW)and8hp(5.9kW),respectively,intheBenzDos--Dosmodel.
Thecontraengineprovidedmanyadvantagesoverin-lineengines.
Inparticular,thecylindersoffsetby180degreesbalancedthe
distributionofmassesverywell,becausetheirpowerstrokesin
opposingspatialalignmenttookplaceinanoffsetmannersuch
thatthemomentsofthepowerstrokeandintakestroke,andof
theexhauststrokeandcompressionstroke,wereoffsetbyone
another.Thismovementofthepistonswaspossiblethankstoa
double-offsetcrankshaft.Becauseofthisdoubleoffset,thetwo
cylinderswerearrangedslightlydisplacedrelativetooneanother
intheengineframe,whichwasopenatthetop.Thisconstruction
alsoallowedacompactandflatdesignofthehorizontally-opposed
pistonengine.
Theoutputofthecontraengineincreasedcontinuouslyafterits
launchin1899.Whilethe5-hp(3.7-kW)engineoftheDos--Dos
didnotchangeinitially,thelargervariantwith2.7-liter
displacementinitiallydeveloped8hp(5.9kW)in1899,then9hp
(6.6kW)in1900,andfinally10hp(7.4kW)in1901.Thetop-of-
the-lineengineamongtheproductionengineswasthe3.7-literenginewith20hp(14.7kW).Benzalsousedthehorizontally-
opposedpistonengineinracingcars.Thefinalstageofevolution
fortheMannheimracingcarswithacontraengineof1900
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
19/133
Page19
likewisedeveloped20hp(14.7kW)afour-cylinderhorizontally-
opposedpistonenginewith5.4-literdisplacement.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
20/133
Page20
Two-andfour-cylinderin-lineengines
TheeraofthecontraengineatBenzcametoanendin1902.The
twinengineandanin-linefour-cylinderbasedonthiswerenow
installedinthenewParsifalmodelfromtheMannheimbrand.The
ParsifalmodelpresentedonOctober3,1902atthemotorshowin
Hamburghadanengineandpropellershaftinstalledatthefront.
Benz&Cie.thusfinallycompleteditsmoveawayfromtherear-
mountedengineandbeltdrive.Thepresentationtookplacein
DecemberattheParismotorshow,beforeaninternational
audience.
Thetwo-cylinderengineswereequippedwithspray-nozzle
carburetors,automaticintakevalves,side-mountedupright
exhaustvalvesandalateralcamshaft.Thelong-strokeengineshad
displacementsof1.5liter(8/10hpBenzParsifal)to2.3liter
(12/14hpBenzParsifal).Thetwo-cylindermodelrangewas
enhancedinthespringof1903withthefirstfour-cylinder
productioncarbyBenz.Unlikethethreeothervariants,the16/20
hpBenzParsifalwasprovidedwithchaindrive.Inthesameyear,
Benzpresentedthe35hpParsifalwithafour-cylinderengineand
adisplacementof5.9literasthetop-of-the-line-modelinthis
modelseries.Asanentry-levelvariant,theeight-hpParsifalwitha
one-litersingle-cylinderenginecompletedtherange.
Four-valvetechnologyforBenzracingcars
Benz&Cie.continuedtodevelopfour-valvetechnology.The
generationofBenzcarsaftertheParsifalhadengineswithdualignition,side-mounteduprightvalvesinaT-arrangementand
spray-nozzlecarburetors.Themodelsshownin1905rangedfrom
the18hpBenzwith3.2literdisplacementand18hp(13kW)at
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
21/133
Page21
1400rpmtothe35/40hpBenzwith5.9literdisplacement,which
developeditsmaximumoutputof35to40hp(26kWto29kW)at
1350rpm.
Inthisperiod,thetwovariantsofaspecialtouringcarthatwere
producedforthe1910Prinz-Heinrich-Fahrt(PrinceHeinrich
Rally)representedanexceptionamongstBenzvehicles:inafirst
forBenz,theseengineswerefittedwithfourvalvespercylinder.
Boththe
5.8-literengine(80hp/59kWat2500rpm)andthe7.3-liter
engine(100hp/74kWat2500rpm)hadfouroverheadvalvesper
cylinderinaV-shapearrangement.Theintakeandexhaustvalves
weredrivenbymeansoftwolateralcamshafts.Despitethe
innovativetechnology,noneoftheBenzvehiclesreachedoneof
thetopthreepositionsinthecompetitionhostedbythePrussian
prince.ThemostsuccessfulBenzdriverwasFritzErle,who,with
an80hp(59kW)specialtouringcar,reachedfifthplace.
Afour-cylinderenginealsopoweredthe200hpBenz,therecord
carpopularlyknownastheLightningBenz.Theengine,weighing
407kilograms,developed200hp(147kW)at1600rpm.Ina
recordattemptontheBrooklandsracetrack,FritzErle,drivingthe
LightningBenz,exceededthe200km/hmarkforthefirsttimein
1909.Otherrecordsfollowed,andforseveralyearsthecarwas
thefastestvehicleintheworld.The21.5-literenginehadthe
largestdisplacementeverusedbyMercedes-Benzandits
predecessorbrandsinaracingorrecordcar.Larger
displacementswerefoundonlyinexperimentalandrecordcars
equippedwithfour-strokegasolineaircraftengines,forexamplethe92/160hpMercedeswithaDaimlerairshipengineof1917
(in-lineeight-cylinder,24-literdisplacement,160hp/118kW)
and,inparticular,theMercedes-BenzT80recordcarof1939,
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
22/133
Page22
whoseDB602RSSpezialV12aircraftenginedeveloped3500hp
(2574kW)froma44.5-literdisplacement.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
23/133
Page23
Six-cylinderin-lineandaircraftengines
Benz&Cie.alsobuiltaircraftenginesbasedontheOttocycle:
theseincludedthe1912four-cylinderBenzFXaircraftengine
designedbyArthurBerger.In1913,aBenzFX9.6-literfour-
cylinderenginewitharatedoutputof105hp(77kW)wonthe
EmperorsprizeforthebestGermanaircraftengine.Thethird
placeinthecompetition,too,wenttoBenz&Cie.Inthefollowing
year,BenzbuilttheBzDVmodelGermanysfirstV12aircraft
engine.Theengine,weighing425kilogramsanddeveloping250
hp(184kW)froma20.3-literdisplacement,wasnotputinto
operation,however.Bycontrast,in1915,thefirstlargetwin-
enginedAEGairplanewasequippedwithBenzG-IVsix-cylinder
enginesoftheBzIImodel,withanoutputof150hp(110kW)
each.
Thesix-cylinderdesignalsofounditswayintoBenzautomobiles
in1914:the21/50hpBenzmodelwasthefirstpassengercar
fromtheMannheimbrandtohaveasix-cylinderin-lineengine.
Theenginehadcylindersarrangedinpairsanda5.3-liter
displacement,fromwhichitdevelopedanoutputof50hp(37kW)
at1650rpm.A6.5-literenginewith65hp(48kW)outputat1650
rpmlaterfollowedthesameprinciple.AftertheendoftheFirst
WorldWar,thefirstnewsix-cylindercarproducedbyBenzwas
the27/70hpmodelwithseven-literdisplacement,anoutputof70
hp(51kW)at1550rpm,anddualmagnetoignition.Beforethe
mergerwithDaimler-Motoren-Gesellschaftin1926,Benz
developedanothertwosix-cylinderengines.In1921,asix-
cylinderin-linewithtwosetsofthreecylinderseachwasproduced,andin1923asix-cylinderin-lineenginewithaone-
pieceengineblockfollowed.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
24/133
Page24
GottliebDaimler,WilhelmMaybachandthe
GrandfatherClock
Groundbreakinginventionsallowgreateroutputandreliability
FirsttestsintheRidingCarandmotorcarriage1897:Thefirstroadvehicleswithfour-cylinderenginesFollowingdifferencesofopinionwithNikolausOtto,Gottlieb
DaimlerandWilhelmMaybachresignedfromGasmotoren-Fabrik
DeutzonJune30,1882.InthesummerhouseofGottliebDaimlers
villainCannstatt,thetwomenworkedonahigh-speedand
lightweightfour-strokeengine.DaimlerandMaybachrealizedthisenginethefollowingyear.Theenginedevelopedapproximately
0.25hp(0.18kW)at600rpm.Thefirsttestswereundertaken
evenwithoutcooling,andwithgasoperation.Gradually,the
inventersprogressedtowardsthemodernengine,whichwasnot
fullyoperationaluntil1884.Becauseofitsshape,theenginewas
calledtheGrandfatherClock.
OnDecember16,1883,GottliebDaimlersoughtpatentprotectioninitiallyforthegasenginewithhot-tubeignitionandoneweek
laterfortheregulationofthespeedoftheenginethroughcontrol
oftheexhaustvalve(curvedgroovecontrol).Thisintermittent
controlwasregulatedbycentrifugalforce:arotatingtongueinthe
curvedgroovedeflectedthevalvecontrollinkageintheeventof
excessiveenginespeedinsuchawaythattheexhaustvalveno
longeropened.Theintakevalveofthenewenginewasstill
automaticallycontrolled,asitwasinOttosversion:itwasopenedbytheatmosphericpressurewhenthepistonstartedtheintake
stroke.Bothpatents,grantedonAugust4and27,1884asGerman
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
25/133
Page25
basisforthefirsthigh-speed,four-strokeinternalcombustion
engine.
Carburetorsandhot-tubeignition
Fromtheoutset,DaimlerandMaybachfocusedongasoline
operationoftheengine.AtDeutzin1875,Maybachhadalready
gainedmuchexperienceinthepreparationofgasoline-air
mixtures.Gaswasnotactuallyproducedinthecarburetor,but
ratherafinemistoffueldroplets.ThefirstDaimlerengineswere
equippedwithafloat-typecarburetordesignedbyMaybach.
Daimlerretainedthistechnologyuntil1893whenthespray-
nozzlecarburetorwasintroduced.Thevisionarynatureof
WilhelmMaybachsenginedesignwasalreadyclearinaremark
from1884:evenatthisearlystage,Maybachwantedtoproduce
anintakemanifoldinjectionsystem.
Theprincipleofthehigh-speedgasolineengineforvehiclesbased
onOttosfour-strokeprinciplewasalreadyinevidencein1884in
theGrandfatherClock.Theenginewithhot-tubeignition,surface
carburetor,andairoverloadingviaavalveinthepistoncrown
developedanoutputofonehp(0.74kW)at600rpm.Suchhigh
enginespeedsbecamepossibleonlyforthegasolineengine,
thankstotheuncontrolledhot-tubeignitionwithanopenhot
tube,sincethistechnologyallowedanincreaseintheenginespeed
byafactoroffivecomparedwithopen-flameignitioninthegas
engine.
Initially,Daimlerplannedtousethehottubeonlyforstarting.However,becausethecompressionheatinthecylinderwasnot
sufficient,toignitethemixture,eveninthecaseofawarmed-up
engine,thehottubewaskeptred-hotbymeansofaburnerduring
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
26/133
Page26
theentiredrivingtime.Daimlerlaterreflectedonthedevelopment
ofthisignitiondesign:Itwasalongroadrequiringcountlesstests
andtheuntiringsystematicworkofthepracticallyexperienced
engineer,soasnottogiveup[]inspiteoftheinitiallyaltogether
discouragingresultsofthesetests,[]until[]thecertaintyofthe
practicabilityofmyuncontrolledignitionhadbeenestablishedand
thegoalhadbeenachieved.
Theworldsfirstmotorcycle
In1885,DaimlerandMaybachfittedascaled-downversionofthe
GrandfatherClockintoawoodentwo-wheeler,theRidingCar.In
thiscar,theenginedeveloped0.5hp(0.37kW)at700rpm.With
thisdrivesystem,thedesignengineershadproventheirclaims
aboutlightweightconstructionandminiaturizationforamotor
vehicleinanimpressivemanner.Ofcourse,DaimlerandMaybach
didnothavetostartfromscratchinthisregard,since
incorporatedinthedevelopmentoftheenginewastheexperience
thatMaybachhadgainedwhenbuildingmodelenginesforDeutz.
InApril1885,GottliebDaimlerfiledapatentapplicationforan
enginewithaverticalcylinder,whichwasdevelopedfromthe
experimentalhorizontalengineof1883.Theengine,protected
undertheGermanReichPatentNo.34926,hadagroundbreaking
newdesign,inwhichthecrankassemblyandflywheelwere,for
thefirsttime,encasedinanoil-anddust-tightcrankcase.
InAugust1885,DaimlerthenpatentedtheRidingCar.Daimlers
youngersonAdolfundertookthemaidenjourneyofthis,theworldsfirstmotorcycle,fromCannstatttoUntertrkheim.The
RidingCarachievedspeedsofupto12km/h,butridecomfortwas
verypoor.Nevertheless,DaimlerandMaybachprovedthataroad-
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
27/133
Page27
goingvehicle,freelycontrollablebyahumanbeing,couldbe
operatedwithaninternalcombustionenginethatobtainedits
powerfromgasoline.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
28/133
Page28
FromRidingCartomotorizedcarriage
Forhisfirstmotorcarin1886,Daimlerinstalledanengineina
coachframe.Inthefirstroadtests,anair-cooled0.5-hp(0.37-kW)
enginestillservedasthedrivesystem.Thefinalenginewasa
single-cylinderfour-strokeenginethathada70-millimeterbore
anda120-millimeterstroke.Withtheresulting462-cubic-
centimeterdisplacement,itdeveloped1.1hp(0.81kW)at650
rpm,whilethemaximumenginespeedwas900rpm.Theengine
hadaclosedcrankcase,overheadintakevalves,andvertical
tappet-controlledexhaustvalves,thehot-tubeignitionbasedon
theDaimlerpatentno.28022of1883,andasurfacecarburetor
basedonMaybachsfloat-typecarburetorsystem.Theengine
weighedonly40kilograms;theenginedevelopedindependently
byCarlBenzatthesametimewasmorethantwiceasheavy.This
lightweightdesignwaspossiblethankstothefiligree
construction:eventheDaimlerengineusedintheRidingCarhad
thinnerwallsthanhadbeenobtaineduntilthen,andwas
correspondinglylight.Thecasewascastinthebellfoundryand
fire-extinguisherfactoryofHeinrichKurtzinStuttgartthis
factorywasbetterequippedthanotherfoundriestodealwiththe
precisedimensionsrequired.
Gasolineengineforautomobilesandboats
Asaresultofthecontinuedpubliccriticismoftheuseofhighly
inflammablebenzeneasfuel,Daimlercalledhisengineapetrol
engine.Thisnamewasintendedtoevokepetroleum,which
peoplehadgreatertrustin.Therewaslessfearregardingshipsthatwereoperatedwithbenzene.Accordingly,Daimlerwassoon
equippingmotorboatswithhissingle-cylinderengine.InOctober
1886,hefiledapatentapplicationforamarineengine,andin
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
29/133
Page29
1887wasgrantedGermanReichPatentNo.39367.
Atthesametime,thefirstmediawererecognizingthepotentialof
thenewdrivesystem.Thus,in1887,theUnitedStatesmagazine
TheWesthadmuchpraiseforDaimlersmotorcarriage.Thetext
inparticularportrayedtheengineasanoutstandingengineering
achievement:Inacarequippedwiththisdrivingpower,itwould
replacethepowerofhorses,whileinashipitwouldreplacethe
steamengine.Itsinestimablevalueliesinthefactthat,wherever
steam,electricityorgashadtobeprovideduntilnowtogenerate
power,suchasimpleandinexpensiveenginewithoutadditional
machineryorrequirementscouldbeusedtosatisfytheleastaswell
asthegreatestofdemands.
DaimlersV-engine
DaimlerandMaybachwerealsolookingforasolutionforthe
multi-cylindergasolineenginetoimprovepoweroutput.The
resultwastheworldsfirsttwo-cylinderV-engine,whichin1889
wasinstalledinthewirewheelcar.Theengine,developedin
1888,allowedDaimlertoreducethespecificengineweightfrom
80kilogramsto36kilogramsperhp.Inadditiontothewirewheel
car,theV-enginewasusedinboatsandrailwayvehicles,andalso
asastationaryengine.ThePanhard&LevassorandPeugeot
vehicles,whichscoredsuccessinthe1894Paris-Rouenrace,also
usedsuchengines.
Thenewenginewasconstructedlikethesingle-cylinder
GrandfatherClockenginesof1885:theclosedcrankcasewasalmostcompletelyoccupiedbythecrankwebsactingasflywheel
disks.Thetwocylindersformedanangleof17degreeswith
ignitionspacingof360degrees.Thus,onerotationequatedtoa
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
30/133
Page30
completepowerstroke.Bothconnectingrodsactedonacommon
crankbend.Thecylinderheadwaswater-cooled,themixturewas
drawninthroughautomaticoverheadintakevalves,andthe
exhaustwasdischargedthroughcontrolleduprightexhaust
valves.
Daimlersoughtprotectionforthenewtwo-cylinderV-enginefrom
theGermanImperialPatentOfficein1889,andinFebruary1890
wasissuedwiththeGermanReichPatentNo.50839.Theversion
ofthe
V-engineinstalledinthewirewheelcarhadadisplacementof
565cubiccentimetersanddeveloped1.5hp(1.1kW)at700rpm.
Thenextgenerationalreadydeliveredtwohp(1.5kW)at620
rpm.
Atfirst,theV-enginestillhadtheoverflowvalvesknownfromthe
GrandfatherClockinthepistoncrown,whichtookcareof
overloadinginthecompressionstroke.Daimlerprobably
dispensedwiththatvalvearound1890.Oneofthereasonsfor
this,besidesthecomplexmechanics,wasthelowadditional
output,sincethecharginginthepistonhamperedtheoperationof
theuncontrolledintakevalve.Panhard&Levassorlikewise
decidedagainstthepistonvalvefortheirlicensedengines.
FrenchlicensesforDaimlerswirewheelcars
DaimlerdemonstratedthewirewheelcarindetailattheWorld
ExhibitioninParisin1889,whereaBenzpatentmotorcarwas
alsoshown.TheFrenchcompanyPanhard&LevassorboughtthelicensesfortheV-engineandthewirewheelcar.Theconclusionof
thiscontractisconsideredtohavesparkedthecreationofthe
Frenchmotorindustry.ByNovember1889,Panhard&Levassor
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
31/133
Page31
hadalreadydeliveredthefirstenginebuiltinFranceunderthe
DaimlerlicensetoBarcelona,andthesecondunitfollowedin
December.
In1890,Panhard&Levassor,inturn,grantedthetoolandbicycle
factoryPeugeottherighttobuildenginesundertheirDaimler
license.ThePeugeotQuadricyclewasFrancesfirstfully
operationalroadvehiclewithaninternalcombustionengine.
Thewaytothefour-cylinderengine
In1889,WilhelmMaybachamongstotherthingsimprovedthe
suitabilityofDaimlerenginesforeverydayuse.Hethusundertook
testswithcoolantsthatweremixturesofwaterandglycerol,in
ordertoallowreliableoperationoftheengineevenat
temperaturesbelowminus10C(14F).
In1890,Maybachsfirstfour-cylinderin-lineenginewasalso
created.Thisenginewasusedonlyinboats,however.Theengine
developedfivehp(3.7kW)at620rpm.Thecylinderdimensions
were80millimeterborex120millimeterstroke.Withthisengine,
weighing153kilograms,Maybachhadproducedthearchetypeof
laterenginedesignseventhedrivesystemsoftodayarestill
basedonthefour-cylinder.Forthenewengine,Maybach
developedacrankshaftwithparallelbendsforcylinders1and4,
aswellas2and3.Theexhaustvalveswerecontrolledviaa
camshaft.
InAugust1890,forthefirsttime,afour-cylinderDaimlerenginewasdeliveredtoNewYorkasamarinedrivesystem.The451-
kilogramenginehadasix-literdisplacementanddeveloped12.3
hp(8.8kW)at390rpm.Tendayslater,Daimlerdelivereda
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
32/133
Page32
secondmodelweighingonly153kilograms.Thissmallerboat
enginehada2.4-literdisplacementanddelivered5.9hp(3.7kW)
at620rpm.
TheSchroedterera
When,in1891,theargumentbetweenDaimlerandhisbusiness
partnersaboutthealignmentofthemodelrangeescalated,
GottliebDaimlerandWilhelmMaybachbothresignedfrom
Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft(DMG).Atthattime,DMGproduced
sevendifferentgasolineengines:thesingle-cylinderatonehp
(0.74kW),V2enginesat1.2andfourhp(0.74,1.5andthreekW),
aswellasaparalleltwo-cylinderdevelopingsixhp(4.4kW)
outputandthefour-cylinderunitsdevelopingaratedoutputof
fivehp(3.7kW)andtenhp(7.4kW),respectively.
MaxSchroedterbecamethenewchiefengineeratDMGfollowing
theresignationofDaimlerandMaybach.Heimmediately
developednewtwo-cylinderengineswithparallelcylinders.Such
engineswerealsoinstalledintheDaimlercarwithchaindrive,the
so-calledSchroedterCar,launchedin1892.OneofSchroedters
importantinnovationswastheregulationofthemixturefeedby
throttlingbymeansofapistonslidevalve.Overall,however,the
newenginesdidnotprovetobetechnicallymature.
MaybachsPhoenixengines
Atthesametime,Maybachcontinuedtodevelopnewvehicledrive
systems.Thework,whichwasinitiallycarriedoutinMaybachsownhomeandlaterintheformerHermannHotel,wasprivately
financedbyGottliebDaimler.Maybachsgreatestsuccessinthis
periodisconsideredtobethePhoenixengine.Thistwo-cylinder
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
33/133
Page33
in-lineenginewasusedforthefirsttimein1895inthebelt-driven
car,afterDaimlerandMaybachhadreturnedtoDMG.Whenthe
1000thDaimlergasolineenginewasdeliveredinDecember1895,
theceremonywasonceagainheldinthegardenofGottlieb
Daimlersvilla.
Thecompanybowedtothepressureofthelicenseeswhorefused
furthercontractsunlessthetwodesignengineerswereonceagain
responsibleforthedevelopmentofnewproducts.Thisclearly
demonstratedDaimlersinternationalrenown.Amongstother
things,thiswastheresultofvictoriesinmotorracing:thefirst
automobileraceinhistoryisconsideredtohavebeenthe1894
ParisRouenraceorganizedbyPierreGiffard.Theoverall
winnersweremotorcarsbyPeugeotandbyPanhard&Levassor.
BothbrandsusedDaimlerenginesandachievedaveragespeedsof
approximately18km/h.In1895,aracefromParistoBordeaux
andbackwasagainwonbycarswithenginesby
Daimler/MaybachandbyBenz.
ThePhoenixenginewasusedinthebelt-drivencarwithoutputs
ofbetweentwohp(1.5kW)and7.5/eighthp(5.5/5.9kW)and
displacementsof760cubiccentimetersto2.2liters.Inplaceofthe
surfacecarburetorusedupuntilthen,Maybachsspray-nozzle
carburetor,developedin1893,nowprovidedthecarburetion.
Withthelatter,thedesignengineeranticipatedtheprincipleof
moderncarburetors.Maybachhadalreadylaidouthispreliminary
ideasforthespray-nozzlesystemin1891.Afterresigningfrom
DMG,heperfectedthecarburetorintheroomsoftheHermann
Hotel.Bythrottlingtheintakeairbymeansofanannulus,Maybachprovidedavacuumintheintakemanifold.Becausethe
gasolinewasunderatmosphericpressure,itwasforcedthrough
thenozzleintotheintakemanifold,andatomizedintoafinemist
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
34/133
Page34
intheprocess.
Coolingwithflywheelandtubularradiators
In1892,Maybachalsoaddressedtheproblemofenginecooling.
Withtheincreasingoperationalreliabilityandoutputofthe
engines,effectivecoolingbecamemoreandmoreimportant.The
firstsolutionhedevelopedwasflywheelcooling.Here,thewarm
coolantwasroutedintoanopengroovethatwascastintotheedge
oftheflywheel.Aso-calledladlenozzlerecoveredthecooled
waterfromthisgroove.However,thesystemworkedonlyfor
engineswithuptofourhp(2.9kW)output.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
35/133
Page35
Thesolutionformoreeffectivecoolingwasthetubularradiator
whichMaybachconceivedin1897.Thisradiatorconsistedofaflat
waterboxwithopentubesinsidewhichwereexposedtothe
airflow.Afancoupledtotheengineshaftprovidedefficient
coolingevenintheidlemode.Thetubularradiatormadepossible
theconstructionofmuchmorepowerfulengines.
Thefirstroadvehicleswithfour-cylinderengines
In1897,DMGintroducedanewgenerationofmotorcarswhich
werethefirstDaimlerautomobilestohavefront-mounted
engines.Comparedwiththemotorcarriageswithbeltdrive,afirst
crucialstephadthusbeentakeninthedirectionofthemodern
automobile.ThefirstmodelwasdrivenbytheprovenPhoenix
two-cylinderengine.TheDaimlerautomobilealsotookitsname
fromtheengine:thePhoenixcar.
Theworldsfirstroadvehicleswithfour-cylinderengineswerethe
Phoenixcars,presentedin1898,withMaybachsnewfour-
cylinderin-lineengine.Thefirsttwounitsofthismodelwere
deliveredbyDMGtoEmilJellinekinSeptember1898.Theywere
drivenbyaneight-hp
(5.9-kW)2.1-literengine.During1899,DMGofferedother
variantsofthefirstseries-builtfour-cylindercarengine.The
outputrangedfromsixhp(4.4kW)to23hp(17kW).
Boschsmagnetoignition
In1897,theRobertBoschcompany,establishedin1886inStuttgart,developeditsnewcontact-breakingignitionbasedon
thewidelyusedimpulseignition.Thisignitiontechnologywas
lighterandworkedfasterthanitspredecessor.InJuly1898,abelt-
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
36/133
Page36
drivenDaimlercarequippedwithBoschlow-voltagemagneto
ignitionsuccessfullyundertookafive-daytrialrunthroughthe
AustrianAlps.DMGalsotestedthenewsystemintrucks.Asa
resultoftheknowledgegained,thehot-tubeignitioncharacteristic
ofDaimlerenginedesignwasfinallyreplaced.
Despitethefastpaceofinnovationinthedevelopmentof
automobileengines,DMGdidnotlosesightofotherareasof
enginedesign.Thus,inFebruary1899,Daimlerequippedthe
airshipofCountZeppelinwithgasolineengines.Thefour-cylinder
light-alloyengine(Nseries)hada4.4-literdisplacementand
developed15hp(11kW)at700rpm.Themaidenflightofthe
LZ1airship,whichwaspoweredbytwoDaimlerengines,took
placeonJuly2,1900.
Historicalretrospective
In1899,theautomobileprogressivelybecamewidelyestablished
asanewmeansoftransport.Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschafttook
advantageofthissituationattheInternationalMotorShowin
Berlinthatyear,providingafirsthistoricalretrospectiveofthe
developmentsinenginedesigntodate.Inadditiontothelatest
automobiles,thefirstDaimlerenginesfrom1883weredisplayed.
Thisunderscoredtheinnovativeachievementsoftheprevious16
years.
Atthispoint,WilhelmMaybachwasalreadylookingtothefuture:
since1896,thedesignengineerhadbeencontinually
experimentingwithaluminumasamaterialforengineconstruction.Inamemo,hesummarizedthepositiveresultsofthe
1899teststhus:Asmuchaluminumaspossible.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
37/133
Page37
Controlledintakevalvesandhoneycombradiators
Maybachsenginedevelopedin1900forthe35hpMercedesagain
featuredseveralinnovations.Thus,theenginewithsix-liter
displacementandanoutputof35hp(26kW)at950rpmwas
fittedwithintakevalvesandexhaustvalvesthatwerecontrolled
viatwolateralcamshafts.Asaresultoftheconstructionwithtwo
valvesarrangedatthesides,theenginewasalsocalledthe
hammerengine.Forthefirsttime,Maybachalsoreplacedthe
tubularradiatorwithhisnewhoneycombradiatorinthismodel.
Itsconstructionwithnumeroustubesandasquarecross-section
maximizedthecoolingsurface,andmadeitpossibletouseless
waterinspiteofimprovedcoolingcapacity.
EmilJellinekorderedthisfirstMercedesinFebruary1900,andits
developmentwascompleteinDecember1900.Afterextensive
testingandrevision,inDecemberthenewvehiclewasdispatched
toJellinekinNice.Maybachhadonceagainoptimizedthe
lightweightconstructionoftheengineforthecar:thepower-to-
weightratiowas6.6kilogramsperhp,andwasthuslessthanhalf
ofthe23-hp(17-kW)engineof1898.Theundersquareengine
(116millimeterborex140millimeterstroke)madeoflightalloy
allowedthecaratopspeedofalmost90km/h.AttheNiceWeek
inMarch1901,Jellinekwonthreeracesinthe35hpMercedes.
MercedesSimplex
TheenginedesignofthefirstMercedesalsoinfluencedthedesign
oftheMercedesSimplexmodels.Theirfour-cylinderin-lineenginesdevelopedbetween32hp(24kW)at1200rpmwitha
5.3-literdisplacementand65hp(48kW)at1200rpmwitha9.3-
literdisplacement.The40hpMercedesSimplex,amoreadvanced
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
38/133
Page38
developmentonthe35hpMercedes,wasagaindrivenbyEmil
Jellinekinthe1902NiceWeek.
ForthenewmodelsoftheSimplexseries(18/22hpmodel,60hp
sportscarand90hpracingcar)presentedin1903,Wilhelm
Maybachbuiltcompletelynewfour-cylinderengines.Thesehad
anoverheadintakevalveinthecenterofthecylinderandan
uprightexhaustvalvewhichwasoperatedbymeansofpushrods.
Inthecombustionzone,thecylinderswerecastwithdoublewalls
inorderforthecoolanttopassthroughmoreefficiently.
Boatengines,hybridvehiclesandsmallcars
Inadditiontothesenewautomobileengines,DMGpresenteda
300-hp(221-kW)six-cylindermarineenginefortheRussianNavy
in1902.Andthefollowingyear,theGermanboatMercedes,
equippedwithaMercedesSimplexenginewith40hp(29kW)
output,wonthefirstboatracefromParistothesea.Therace
coveredadistanceofmorethan322kilometers,andallsixstages
werewonbyMercedes.
In1902,FerdinandPorschewontheExelbergracewithahybrid
vehicleoftheMercedes-Lohner-Porschemodelinwhichthe
gasolineenginedrovetheelectricwheelhubmotorsbymeansofa
dynamo.TheprinciplewasalsousedbytheMercdsMixte
passengercarspresentedbytheAustrianDaimler-Motoren-
Gesellschaftin1906.Their45-hpor70-hp(33-kWor51-kW)
gasolineenginesdroveelectricwheelhubmotorsinthefront
wheelsbymeansofagenerator.
Experimentswithalternativedrivesystemsbasedonthegasoline
engineswerecommonatthetime.Thus,in1904,Maybachworked
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
39/133
Page39
onagasoline-steamengine,whichwasintendedtotakeadvantage
oftheheatofthecoolantviaaheatexchanger.However,the
principledidnotwork.In1905,Maybachalsoabandonedtests
withpowertransmissionfromtheenginetotherearaxleby
meansofcompressedair.Thismethodwasintendedtodispense
withthetransmission,clutchanddifferential.Thecompressedair
producedbytheenginebymeansofapumpwasconvertedatthe
rearendintomovementbytwohorizontally-opposedpiston
engines.
PaulDaimlerdidnotattemptsuchadramaticbreakwiththe
designoftheSimplexinhisAustro-Daimlerof1903;thesmallcar
wasdrivenbyatransverselyinstalledtwo-cylinderenginewith
ninehp(6.6kW).
Six-cylinderbyMaybachandPaulDaimler
ThefinaldevelopmentoftheingeniousdesignengineerWilhelm
MaybachforDaimler-Motoren-Gesellschaftwasasix-cylinder
racingenginein1906.Maybacharrangeditscylindersindividually
onalight-alloycrankcase.Thecylinderlinersweremadeofsteel,
andthecylindershadoverheadintakeandexhaustvalvesthat
werecontrolledbymeansofcamshaftsandrockerarms.Each
cylinderwasequippedwithtwosparkplugsthatwere
independentofoneanother.Theoversquareengine(140
millimeterborex120millimeterstroke)developed106hp(78
kW)at1400rpmand120hp(88kW)at1500rpm.Itwasthe
archetypeformanylaterenginedesigns,includingaircraft
engines.
ParalleltoMaybachsracingengine,PaulDaimlerdevelopedasix-
cylinderin-lineengineforproductionvehiclesthenew37/65hp
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
40/133
Page40
and39/75hpMercedesmodels.Inthe75-hp(55-kW)topmodel,
theenginehada10.2-literdisplacement.ThiscarbecameDMGs
firstproductionvehicletofeatureasix-cylinderengine.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
41/133
Page41
Frommodelyear1908,theMercedesvehiclesacquiredBosch
magnetosparkplugignitionsystems.DMGwasthefirst
manufacturertousethenewlow-voltageignitionsystemin
production,andoffereditscustomerstheoptionofretrofitting
olderengineswiththisnewsystem.Ignitionwasobtainedwitha
dualignitiondistributorandtwosparkplugspercylinder.This
madeitpossibletoignitethemixtureinparallelatdifferentpoints
ofthecylinder.Inhigh-performanceengines,thistechnology
prevailedforalongtime.
Thegasolineenginealsobecamethenormforcommercial
vehicles:in1910,theBreslaufirebrigadecommissionedthefirst
mobileturntableladderonaDaimlerchassiswithgasolineengine.
ItwasthusthefirstfireserviceinGermanytopossessafire-
fightingfleetmadeuponlyofmotorvehicleswithgasoline
engines.Allthreevehicles(motor-drivenfirepump,turntable
ladderandimplementcarrier)wereproducedona28/32-hp
chassisbyDaimlerMarienfelde.
TheeraoftheKnightsleevevalveengines
UnderPaulDaimler,whoin1907tookoveraschiefengineerof
DMGfromWilhelmMaybach,Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft
enteredintoapreliminaryagreementforthelicensed
manufactureofthevalve-freesleevevalveenginesofCharlesJ.
Knightin1909.AftertrialproductionofoneoftheAmerican
engines,in1910thedecisionwasmadetocommenceproduction
oftheseenginesforMercedesvehicles.Advantagesofthesleeve
valveengineincludeditsquietrunningandthepossibilityofobtaininghighenginespeedsofupto1600rpminfour-cylinder
engines.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
42/133
Page42
InDecember1910attheParisMotorShow,DMGwasalready
showingalandauletwithavalve-freeKnightsleevevalveengine.
Theproductionofa16/40hpMercedes-Knight(later
16/45Mercedes-Knight)beganinearly1911.However,theslide
valvegearprovedtobemechanicallyfragileandtoocomplexin
production.Intotal,onlyaround5500vehicleswithenginesofthe
Mercedes-Knighttypewereproduced.
Three-andfour-valvetechnology
The37/90hpMercedeswasthenewtop-of-the-linemodelof
DMGin1911.Itsfour-cylinderenginehada9.5-literdisplacement
andwasequippedwiththreevalvespercylinder(includingtwo
exhaustvalves)anddualignition.Thedesignmadeupofsingle
cylinderswithweldedcoolantjacketsreplacedthesix-cylinder
unitsproducedsince1907.
In1914,Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaftalsosuccessfully
introducedmulti-valvetechnologyintheengineoftheGrandPrix
car.Thefour-cylinderin-lineunithadindividualuprightsteel
cylindersandcylinderheadsequallymadeofsteel.Ineachcase,
twointakeandexhaustvalveswerearrangedobliquelyinthe
countersunkroof-shapedcylinderhead.Ignitionoccurredwith
threesparkplugspercylinderhead.Thisengine,withitshigh
enginespeeds(105hp/77kWat3100rpm,maximumengine
speed3200rpm),becametheprototypeforaircraftenginesand
others.
Daimleraircraftengines
AircraftengineproductionhadalreadybegunatDMGin1909
withthecompletionofthefirst120-hp(88-kW)four-cylinder
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
43/133
Page43
J4F.Inthesameyear,a30-hp(22-kW)B4Fandthefirstunitof
the60-hp(44-kW)four-cylinderD4Fwereproduced.In1913,
theMercedesDF80,a90-hp(66-kW)7.2-litersix-cylinder,took
secondplaceintheEmperorsprizeforthebestGermanaircraft
engine.
In1917,theSindelfingenplantwasalsocommissionedwiththe
manufactureofaircraftengines.Thoseinchargeoftheairforce
thusintendedtoboosttheproductionofMercedesaircraft
engines,whichuntilthenhadbeenconcentratedin
Untertrkheim,andatthesametimetodecentralizeit.InMarch
1918,thefirstSindelfingenworkshopsbeganaircraftengine
production.Inthefall,thenecessarytestbencheswereinstalled.
Owingtothelackofmachines,however,thefirstenginescouldnot
completetheirtestbenchrununtilshortlybeforetheendofthe
war.
Thesuperchargerera
Apowerfulhowlingnoiseannouncedthetriumphofanew
generationofsportyautomobiles:in1921,attheBerlinMotor
Show,DMGpresentedtheworldsfirstpassengercarwitha
superchargedengine.Theenginesofthefour-cylinder6/20hp
Mercedesand10/35hpMercedeswereprovidedwithairunder
excesspressurebymeansofadouble-bladedRootsblowerto
boostpoweroutput.Thetwocars,whoseoutputinthemeantime
hadonceagainbeenimproved,wentintoproductionin1923as
the6/25/40hpand10/40/65hpmodels.Inthemodel
designation,thefirstnumberdesignatedthetaxhorsepowerrating,thesecondtheengineoutputwithoutasupercharger,and
thethirdnumberdesignatedtheengineoutputwiththe
superchargerengaged.TheengineshadV-shapedoverhead
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
44/133
Page44
valves,averticalshaft,andindividualsteelcylinders,andwere
combinedtoformablockinaweldedsheetsteeljacket.Thishigh-
performanceenginewasdesignedbyPaulDaimlerbasedonthe
exampleofaircraftenginesfromtheFirstWorldWar.The
technologyformechanicalchargingusingacompressoralso
originatedfromtheseaircraftengines.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
45/133
Page45
Initially,thefour-cylindermodelswith1.6-liter(6/25/40hp)and
2.6-liter(10/40/65hp)engineswereequippedwith
superchargers.Thesix-cylinderengineswithfour-liter
displacement(15/70/100hp)and6.2liters(24/100/140hp)
followed.AfterthemergerofBenz&Cie.withDaimler-Motoren-
Gesellschaftin1926,eventhelargeeight-cylindercars(380,
500K,540K,770)aswellasMercedes-Benzssportsandracing
carslikewiseacquiredsuperchargedengines.Themechanical
chargingnotonlyservedasameansofboostingoutput,butwas
alsoacharacteristicoftheprestigioushigh-performancevehicles
fromStuttgart.Thesuperchargerthusdefinedtheimageof
Mercedes-Benzwiththevaluesofperformance,innovationand
dynamism.
Evenbeforeseriesproductionofthesuperchargedcars,DMGhad
achievedracesuccesseswithmechanicallychargedvehicles.At
theTargaFlorioin1922,MaxSailerwasthewinnerinthe
productioncarcategoryina28/95hpmodelwhichwasequipped
fortheracewithasupercharger.TheTargaFlorio1922wasthe
firstraceinwhichsuperchargedcarswereentered.
AttheBerlinMotorShowinDecember1924,Daimlerpresented
thenew15/70/100hpand24/100/140hpMercedespassenger
carmodels.Thetwosuperchargedsix-cylindercarswould,in
future,serveastop-of-the-linemodelsinthesalesrange.
Thefirsteight-cylinderMercedes,andatthesametimethefirst
cardesignedbyFerdinandPorscheforDMG,wasthetwo-liter
Monzaracingcar.ThesuperchargedracingcarhaditsfirstracetheItalianGrandPrixinMonzainOctober1924.Porsches
designachievedgreatersuccessesonlyinvariousnationalraces,
and,asintheAVUSrace,inthefour-seatersportscarcategory.Its
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
46/133
Page46
outputof170hp(125kW)at7000rpmallowedatopspeedof
180km/h.
TheMercedes-Benzgasolineenginefrom1926on
ReliableenginesguaranteedsatisfiedcustomersFirst-classperformanceandprestigewiththesuperchargerContinuedrefinementofdetailfeaturesAfterthemergerofDaimler-Motoren-GesellschaftwithBenz&Cie.
toformDaimler-Benzin1926,oldermodelsofbothbrands
continuedtobebuiltatfirst.Thefirstcompletelynewlydesigned
vehicleofthebrandwasthe5/25hpMercedes-Benzprototype
(W01series)withthesix-cylinderin-lineM01.Thisundersquare
enginewith1.4-literdisplacementwasdesignedbyFerdinand
Porsche.However,neitherthismodel,which,initsdisplacement
category,wasunusuallyrefined,northe5/25hpMercedes-Benz
(W14)witha1.3-literfour-cylinderM14engineevermadeitto
large-scaleproduction.
ThefirstnewlydevelopedMercedes-Benzproductioncarwasthereforethe8/38hpmodel(W02series)withthetwo-literin-
linesix-cylinderM02.Theveryundersquareengine(65
millimeterborex100millimeterstroke)developed38hp(28kW)
at3400rpm.ThiscarwasbasedonDMGsplansfora
superchargedtwo-litercar,and,followinganexchangeof
argumentationwithBenz&Cie.,itwasmodifiedandbecamea
vehiclewithamoresimpledesignforthesakeofhighproduction
figures.
Continuousdevelopment
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
47/133
Page47
Themodelpresentedin1926didnotrepresentatechnical
milestoneinMercedes-Benzenginedevelopment.Instead,the
designengineersworkedfromaproventechnologicalbasisforthe
in-lineengine.Nevertheless,theM02hadgreatpotentialfor
futuredevelopment.Overaperiodoftwelveyears,andinseveral
stages,engineswithincreaseddisplacementevolvedfromthis
basisforsubsequentpassengercargenerations:forexample,the
M11ofthe2.6-litervariantsofthe1928Mercedes-BenzStuttgart,
theM182.9-literengineofthe1933Mercedes-Benz290(W18),
andfinallytheM142oftheMercedes-Benz320(W142I),
presentedin1937,witha
3.2-literengine,whichin1938wasincreasedto3.4liters.
Suchcontinuousdevelopmentofprovenenginesoveralong
periodoftimehasalwaysbeenresponsibleforthehighqualityof
Mercedes-Benzengines.Thepursuitofthesystematic
improvementofgoodproductsintheireverydetailwasthe
impetusforthistechnicalevolution.
FromMercedesKtoMercedes-BenzS
Takingupthethreadoftheshort,butglorioushistoryofthebig
Stuttgartsuperchargedsportscars,in1927Mercedes-Benz
launchedtheW06seriesofsuperchargedsportscars,beginning
withtheMercedes-BenzS(26/120/180hp)theSstandingfor
sport.
Anewchassiswasdeveloped,basedonthechassisofthe
DaimlerKmodel.TheMercedes-BenzSacquiredalowframe,andtheenginewasmovedbackwardsby30centimeters.Theaxleload
distributionwasthusimproved,andtheM06large-volumesix-
cylinderin-lineenginecouldbeinstalledmuchlower.TheM06
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
48/133
Page48
hadadisplacementof6.8liters,owingtoenlargedbores.In
addition,majormodificationscomparedwiththeMercedesKwere
necessaryintheengineblock.Theengineersthuschangedfrom
drytowetcylinderliners;however,theenginestillhaddual
ignitionandtwosparkplugspercylinder,oneofwhich,ineach
case,wassuppliedbymeansofthetraditionalhigh-voltage
magnetoignitionandtheotherbymeansofbatteryignition.
Togetherwiththeupperpartofthecrankcase,thecylinderswere
castfromaluminum,andthecylinderheadwasmadeofgraycast
iron.Intakeandexhaustvalveswerearrangedoverheadinthe
cylinderhead,whilevalvecontrolwascarriedoutbyanoverhead
camshaft.Incombinationwithatwo-carburetorsystem,thenew
sportscarengineofficiallydeveloped180hp(132kW)witha
supercharger.Engineswithhighercompressiondevelopedupto
220hp(162kW)inracingwiththehelpofaspecialbenzene
mixtureasfuel.
ThefirstentryoftheMercedesBenzSintheGermanGrandPrixin
thesummerof1927resultedinatriplevictoryonthe
Nrburgring,withRudolfCaracciolatakingfirstplace.However,a
pressreleaseof1928alsoemphasizedthesuitabilityofthishigh-
performanceengineforeverydayuse:Theengineincontrastto
thesensitivitywhichissooftenfoundinraceenginesis
particularlypowerful,resilientandreliable,andbuiltforalong
servicelife,notjustforafewhoursofracingunderextreme
stresses.
FromStoSSKL
TheevolutionoftheMercedes-BenzSsportscartotheSSKL
occurredintheyearsafter1927,inparticularasaresultof
improvementstotheengines.TheSSmodelpresentedin1928
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
49/133
Page49
hadanenginewitha
7-literdisplacement.Themaximumoutputwithasupercharger
wasinitially200hp(147kW)andcontinuallyincreasedto220hp
(162kW),then225hp(165kW),andultimately250hp(184kW).
Thesuperchargedenginewithamaximumenginespeedof3200
rpmwasconsideredalow-speedengine,sinceenginespeedsof
pureracingenginesofthetimeweremorethantwiceashigh.
TheSSthusofferedeitherahighlevelofcomfortwhentouringor
fullperformanceforracingpurposes.Mercedes-Benzalso
describedthecartopotentialbuyersintheseterms:[Thedriver]
nowusesthelesspowerfulormorepowerfulengineathisown
discretion,dependingonwhetherherequiresgreateracceleration
andtractivepowerforhisjourney.Generally,hewillonlyneedthe
superchargerinordertoreachthedesiredtravelingspeedmore
quickly,andthencontinueatthisspeedwithoutthesupercharger,
orhewillengagethesuperchargeronuphillstretcheswherehe
mustchangedowntothenextlowestgear,orwhicharetakenwith
theengineattoolowaspeed.Racingisadifferentstory.Here,one
alwaysdriveswiththesuperchargerengaged,unlesstheroad
characteristics(bends,etc.)prohibitthis.
TheW06serieswascompletedwiththeSSKandSSKLmodels.
TheSSKLracingsportscardeveloped300hp(220kW)fromits
7.1-literenginewithmechanicalcharging.Withthiscar,Rudolf
CaracciolaandWilhelmSebastianwontheMilleMigliain1931at
anaveragespeedof101.1km/h.Caracciolawasthusthefirstnon-
Italiandrivertowinthethousand-mileracewithstartandfinish
inBrescia.
ThefirstMercedes-Benzeight-cylinder
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
50/133
Page50
In1928,the18/80hpMercedes-BenzNrburg460(W08)was
thefirstMercedes-Benzpassengercarwithaneight-cylinderin-
lineengine.Forthatreason,itwasalsocalledtheNrburg8in
somepublications,andthefrontcoveroftheearlycatalogwas
decoratedwithagold-embossednumber8surroundedbya
diamond.TheprestigiousvehiclewasdesignedbyFerdinand
Porsche.Hissuccessor,HansNibel,revisedtheW08afterjustone
year,andgavetheNrburgamoreelegantandsportierform.The
M08enginea4.6-litereight-cylinderin-lineunitremainedthe
same.Theenginewascontrolledbyalateralcamshaftand
developed80hp(59kW)at3400rpm.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
51/133
Page51
TheM07enginehaditspremierein1930asMercedes-Benzs
secondeight-cylinderengine,poweringthe770GrandMercedes.
Froma
7.7-literdisplacement,theenginedeveloped200hp(147kW)at
2800rpmwiththesuperchargerengaged.Themixturewas
providedbyaMercedes-Benzthree-nozzledoublecarburetor.The
W07wasineveryrespectaprestigiousvehiclethatsatisfiedthe
veryhighestdemands.Thetopspeedof160km/hwasperfectly
suitedtotherespectivedrivingconditions.
Innovativecompactcarwithrear-wheeldrive
Whiletheeight-cylindermodelsservedtoemphasizeMercedes-
Benzspositionintheluxuryclass,atthesametimetheengineers
wereworkingoninnovativeconceptsforcompactsedans.The
resultofthisresearchwasthe130(W23)modelof1934,whose
four-cylinderenginewith1.3-literdisplacementwashousedinthe
rearofthecar.ThismodelwasthusthefirstMercedes-Benz
passengercartohavearear-mountedengineasstandard.The
170H(W28)model,presentedin1936,alsohadafour-cylinder
gasolineenginemountedintherear.
Mercedes-Benzaircraftengines
ManyinnovationsinDaimler-Benzengineproductioninthe1930s
werebasedonaircraftengines.Thus,theLZ129Zeppelinairship,
betterknownastheHindenburg,wasdrivenbyfourDaimler-Benz
V16enginesfromtheDB602(LOF6)series,eachwitha
maximumoutputof1200hp(882kW).
In1937,theDB601A,aV12enginewithoverheadcylinders,went
intoproductionasthefirstDaimler-Benzaircraftenginewith
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
52/133
Page52
gasolineinjection.UsingthemoreadvancedDB601ReVaircraft
engineintheMesserschmittMe209recordaircraft,in1939
aircraftcaptainFritzWendelachievedarecordspeedof755.138
km/h,whichwouldnotbebeatenfor30years.
Wartime
DuringtheSecondWorldWar,activitiestodevelopgasoline
enginesforpassengercarsatMercedes-Benzwereforthemost
partconfinedtoreactingtothedifficultsupplyconditions.In
1943,theStuttgartengineersthuspresentedawoodgas
generatorforthe170Vpassengercarthatweighedonly70
kilograms,cost800Reichmarksandcouldbeinstalledinoneday,
andwhichpermittedarangeofapproximately100to130
kilometerswithacharcoalloadof24kilograms.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
53/133
Page53
Mercedes-BenzgasolineenginesaftertheSecond
WorldWar
Firstcompletelynewdevelopments:six-cylinderenginesinmodels220and300
300SLcoupe:FirstproductioncarwithfuelinjectionFirstMercedes-BenzV8inthe600(W100)In1946,whenproductionwasresumedunderdifficultconditions
aftertheendofthewar,Mercedes-Benzfellbackonproven
enginesfromtheprewarrange.Thefirstpost-warpassengercar
enginebuiltinUntertrkheimwasa1.7-literfour-cylinderengine
forthe170V.
1951:Anewbeginning
Thefirstcompletelynewdesignstostartproductionaftertheend
ofthewarweretheenginesofthesix-cylinderMercedes-Benz220
(W187)and300(W186)passengercars.Bothcarswereshown
atthefirstFrankfurtInternationalMotorShow(IAA)in1951.
TheM180engineofthe220hada2.2-literdisplacementandan
outputof80hp(59kW).Theenginewasdesignedasatypical
oversquareenginewithanoverheadcamshaft,overheadvalvesin
thecylinderhead,andacrankshaftrunninginleadbronze
bearingswithnew,patentedmountingoftheweights.The
camshaftdrivewassilentandprovidedbyaDuplexrollerchain,
whilethemixturewasproducedbyaSolexdowndraftcarburetor.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
54/133
Page54
Mercedes-Benz300
Theforemostattention-grabberatthe1951IAA,however,wasthe
Mercedes-Benz300(W186).Atthetimeofitspresentation,this
modelwasthelargestandfastestproductioncarofalltheGerman
brands.Later,themodelwassimplycalledtheAdenauer,after
GermanFederalChancellorKonradAdenauerwholikedtobe
drivenintheMercedes-Benz300.Theoutputofthethree-liter
enginewasincreasedseveraltimesfrom1951:the115hp(85
kW)at4600rpmofthefirstW186Imodelwasfurtheradvanced
to125hp(92kW)at4500rpminthelastversionwiththe
M186IIengine.
Thepressreleasesaidoftheengineofthenewcar,theM186:[It]
representsnotonlythesumofthelastdecadesexperienceand
designknowledge,butalsoincorporatesconceptsthathadnotbeen
applieduntilnow.Oneexampleoftheseinnovationswasthe
oversquareenginedesignwithslowpistonspeed,whichresulted
inlesswearandalonglife.Anovelvalvearrangementallowed
largevalvecross-sectionsinspiteofasmallsurface,andpromoted
vortexformationinthecombustionchamber.Theignitionpoint
wasregulatedbymeansofacentrifugalgovernorandananeroid
capsuleintheintakemanifold,andinadditiontherewasthe
possibilityofprecisionadjustmentonthedashboard.
WiththeinstallationofthenewM189engineinthe300dmodel
(builtfrom1957to1962)withmanifoldinjection,theengine
outputwasagainincreasedto160hp(118kW)at5300rpm.
Anotherhigh-speedcarburetorengine,theM188,wasalreadyprovidedintheMercedes-Benz300S(W188I)coupein1951.
ThiswasreplacedbytheM199injectionenginein1955.The
engineoutputwasthusincreasedfrom150hp(110kW)at5000
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
55/133
Page55
rpmto175hp(129kW)at5400rpm,whilethefuelconsumption
didnotchange.
ArrivaloftheMercedes-Benz300SL
TheMercedes-Benz300SLsportscarwasconceivedin1954
basedontheracingsportscarprototypepresentedin1952.The
coupewastheworldsfirstproductioncarwithafour-stroke
enginethatwasprovidedwithgasolineinjection.The300SL
featuredmechanicallycontrolleddirectinjectionviaaBoschsix-
plungerpump.Withthistechnology,theM198enginedeveloped
215hp(158kW)at5800rpm.Withtheenginedesignofthe
300SL,Mercedes-Benzsetthestandardsforthedevelopmentof
futuregenerationsofgasolineengines,justasitdidwiththeentire
sportscarconcept.The300SLroadsterpresentedin1957
retainedthisinjectiontechnology.In1962,however,thesix-
cylinderin-lineengineinstalledinclinedat45degreeswasfitted
withanewlight-alloyblock.
TheMercedes-Benz300dwasequippedwithafuelinjection
systemin1957.Inthiscase,however,Mercedes-Benzoptedfor
intermittentmanifoldinjection.Theinjectionagaintookplaceby
meansofaBoschsix-plungerpump.
TheMercedes-Benz220SE(W128)withtheM127Isix-cylinder
in-lineengineappearedin1958.Theinjectionsystemofthe2.2-
literenginewaspoweredbyaBoschtwo-plungerpump.The
enginedeveloped115hp(85kW)at4800rpm.Thetechnologyfor
increasingoutput,whichhadbeenestablishedformanyyearsalready,hadfinallybeenadoptedintolarge-scaleproductionwith
thismodel.Theadditionalcostcomparedwiththe220Smodel
withcarburetorenginewas1900deutschmarks.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
56/133
Page56
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
57/133
Page57
Gasolineenginesinthethree-boxbody
Agoodexampleofthedevelopmentofnewengineswithina
modelserieswastheMercedes-Benzwiththree-boxbody(with
self-supportingchassis-bodystructure,knownasPontonin
German).The180(W120)model,presentedin1953,hadan
M136IIfour-cylinderin-lineenginewith1.8-literdisplacement
forthefirstfouryears.Theenginedeveloped52hp(38kW)at
4000rpm.In1957,theenginewasreplacedbythenew1.9-liter
M121enginewhichalsopoweredthe190model.Insteadof
lateraluprightvalves,thecylindersnowhadoverheadvalves,
whilethelateralcamshaftwasreplacedwithanoverheadvariant.
Theoutputwasincreasedto68hp(50kW)at4400rpm,whileat
thesametimefuelconsumptionfellbyoneliterto10.5litersper
100kilometers.
Forthe1957modelyear,thesix-cylindermodels219(W105)and
220S(W180II)werefittedwithengineswithincreasedoutput
andtheHydrakhydraulic-automaticclutchasanoption.
Continuousdevelopmentofthefour-andsix-cylinderengines
Inthe1960s,innewmodelseriessuchastheTailfin,Mercedes-
Benzfocusedonthecontinuousdevelopmentofexistingengines.
The190(W110)modelwasthusfittedwiththelatestversionof
theM121engine.In1956,ithaddeveloped75hp(55kW)at
4600rpmandconsumed11.5litersofpremiumgasolineper100
kilometersinthe190(W121)model.Atthesameconsumption,
theoutputhadnowincreasedto80hp(59kW)at5000rpm,andthetopspeedwasapproximately150km/hinsteadof139km/h.
Thedesignersobtainedthisoptimizationinspiteofalargerand
heavierbodyworkwhichwasbuiltbasedonBlaBarnyis
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
58/133
Page58
innovativeconceptformaximizingpassivesafety.
Thetop-of-the-linemodelinthisserieswasthe300SE(W112)
presentedattheIAAin1961.ItsM189injectionengineinitially
hadatwo-plungerinjectionpump,andfrom1964asix-plunger
pumpwasinstalled.Thankstomodificationsofthethree-liter
engine,theoutputwasincreasedfrom160hp(118kW)at5000
rpmto170hp(125kW)at5400rpm.Thefuelconsumptionofthe
carequippedwithautomatictransmissionasstandardchangedas
aresultofthemorepowerfulengine,whiletheincreasedtop
speeddidnot.
Mercedes-Benz600:Aclassapart
IntheMercedes-Benz600(W100),theStuttgartbrandpresented
aV8injectionengineforpassengercarsforthefirsttime.The
oversquareeight-cylinder(103millimeterborex95millimeter
stroke)enginedevelopedamaximumoutputof250hp(184kW)
at4000rpmfrom6.3liters.Togetherwiththeautomatic
transmissioninstalledasstandard,theW100hadaperformance
thatwouldalsohavedonecredittoasportscar:thesedan,
althoughweighingalmosttwo-and-a-halftons,achievedatop
speedofover205km/handacceleratedfromstandstillto100
km/hintenseconds.
Atthestartofplanning,theengineershadconsidereddesigning
theM100asafive-literengine.Thedecisiontoproducealight-
alloyV8wasmadeasearlyas1955.ParalleltotheM100,the
enginespecialistsalsoworkedonaV12engine,whichwasgiventhein-housecodeM101.Thisengine,whichwastohavea7.5-
literdisplacement,wasnotrealized,however.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
59/133
Page59
Finally,intheMercedes-Benz600,agroundbreakingenginewas
usedwithcylinderbanksmadeofgraycastiron,aluminum
cylinderheads,anda6.3-literdisplacement.TheinnovativeV8
engine,whicheasilyoutperformedcomparableenginesof
Americanbrandsintermsofoutputandrefinement,finally
becamethepowerhouseoftheMercedes-Benz300SEL6.3
(W109E63).Here,the250-hpenginewasresponsibleforthe
sedanstopspeedof221km/h.Enginepowerwastransferredto
theroadbyafour-speedautomatictransmission.
TheM100alsoinspiredthesmallerV8enginesofthe1970s:the
3.5-literM116enginewasemployedintheMercedes-Benz
300SEL3.5(W109E35/1)and280SE/SEL3.5(W108E35)
models.Theinjectionenginedeveloped200hp(147kW)at
5800rpm.Inaddition,theM117enginewith4.5-liter
displacementwasdevelopedforexporttoNorthAmerica.
Independentmid-series:TheStrokeEight
Inthefirstindependentmodelseriesofthemid-sizedcategory
(W115/114),Mercedes-Benzfocusedonprovenengine
technology.The200,220(W115),andthe230and250(W114)
modelshadin-linecarburetorengineswithoverheadvalvesand
anoverheadcamshaft.
InApril1972,the280and280Emodelswereaddedtothesedan
modelline-up.Bothwereequippedwithanewlydesigned2.8-liter
enginewithadoubleoverheadcamshaft.Thecarburetorversion
ofthisM110six-cylinderin-lineenginedeveloped160hp(118kW)at5500rpmandasaninjectionengine185hp(136kW)at
6000rpm.Sincethearrivalofthe280and280E,the250model
wasnolongerdeliveredwiththe2.5-literM114engine,but
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
60/133
Page60
insteadwiththe2.8-literM130enginewhichwasalsousedinthe
280S(W108V28).IntheStrokeEight,aslightlyderatedvariant
wasusedthatdeveloped130hp(96kW)at5000rpminsteadof
140hp(103kW)at5200rpm.Theexportversionofthe250
modelfortheUSAandCanadahadbeenequippedwiththisengine
sinceJuly1970.
TheM110intheMercedes-Benz280hadV-shapedoverhead
valvesandtwooverheadcamshafts.Thecarburetorversion
createdthemixturewithadual-compounddowndraftcarburetor,
whilethe280Ehadanelectronicallycontrolledinjectionsystem
byBosch.Gasolineinjectionhadlongbeenestablishedinthe
Mercedes-BenzmodelrangewhentheStrokeEightwaslaunched:
the250,000thMercedes-Benzpassengercarwithaninjection
enginehadbeenbuiltintheSindelfingenplantin1969.
Mercedes-Benzdemonstratedfar-sightednessin1968withthe
presentationofanewfive-speedtransmissionforallcarswithsix-
cylinderengines.Demandwasstilllowatthetime,andproduction
wassuspendedagainin1976.Intheearly1980s,however,five-
speedtransmissionsweresuddenlyingreatdemandbecause
manymotoristswishedtoreducefuelconsumptionwiththis
moderntechnology.
ThreeV8enginesintheS-Class
TheMercedes-BenzS-Classofthe116series,presentedin1972,
wasofferedwithatotalofthreedifferentV8engines.The
280S/SEservedasentry-levelmodelwiththeM110ascarburetororinjectionengine(160hp/118kWand185hp/136
kW,respectively).Theoutputofthedual-camshaftenginechanged
betweenNovember1975andFebruary1976,whenthefuel-
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
61/133
Page61
injectionsystemsofthe2.8-liter,3.5-literand4.5-literinjection
engineswereconverted.
Mercedes-BenzchangedfromtheelectronicallycontrolledBosch
D-Jetronictothenewlydeveloped,mechanicallycontrolledBosch
K-Jetronicinordertobeabletobetterconformtotheemissions
standardsthatinthemeantimehadbecomestricterinmost
Europeancountries.Inordertofacilitatemaintenance,thetwoV8
engineswereprovidedinthecontextofthesemeasureswith
contactlesstransistorizedignitionandhydraulicvalveclearance
compensation.Inallthreecases,theconversionwasinitially
associatedwithminoroutputlosses;fromApril1978,theoriginal
outputofthethreemodelswithmodifiedinjectionengineswas
againfullyavailable.
Inadditiontothe3.5-literV8M116andthe4.5-literM117engine
originallydesignedforNorthAmerica,inthe116seriesthe
V8M100,whichhadprovenitselfintheMercedes-Benz600,was
alsoused.Withanincreaseddisplacementofjustunder6.9liters
anddeveloping286hp(210kW)at4250rpm,itpoweredthetop-
of-the-lineMercedes-Benz450SEL6.9model.Thissedan,
presentedin1975,hadaK-Jetronicinjectionsystemcontrolledby
anairflowsensor.
Thetop-of-the-linemodelsinthe107seriesatthistimewerethe
Mercedes-Benz500SLroadsterandthe500SLCcoupeof1980.
TheywereequippedwiththeM117V8enginewitha
displacementofjustunderfiveliters,whichhadalreadybeen
employedinasimilarforminthe450SLC5.0of1978.
Launchofthe123serieswithanewsix-cylinderin-line
engine
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
62/133
Page62
WhenMercedes-Benzlaunchedthenewmid-sized123seriesin
1976,theprovengasolineenginesofthe115/114serieswere
installedinthe200,230,280,and280E.OnlytheMercedes-Benz
250receivedacompletelynewlydevelopedsix-cylinderin-line
engine,theM123,witha2.5-literdisplacementandanoutputof
129hp(95kW)at5500rpm.Intheenginerangeofthe123series,
however,somechangesweremadeintheyearsfrom1978to
1980.Initially,inApril1978,theoutputofthe280Ewas
increasedto185hp(136kW)at5800rpm.InSeptember1979,
theoutputofthesix-cylindercarburetorengineinthe250was
boostedto140hp(103kW)at5500rpm.
InJune1980,Mercedes-Benzintroducedtwonewgasoline
engines:theM102two-litercarburetorenginedeveloping109hp
(80kW)at5200rpmandtheM102injectionengine,a2.3-liter
unitdeveloping136hp(100kW)at5100rpm.Thetwovariantsof
theM102replacedtheprovenenginesoftheM115series.The
all-newM102four-cylinderin-lineenginewasdesignedfor
installationatanangleinordertokeeptheoverallheightaslow
aspossible.Thisspecificationwasimportantsothattheengine
couldalsobeusedinfuturemodelgenerations.Thenewengines
outputhadbeenboostedby1525percentwhilefuel
consumptionwasuptotenpercentlower.
Theengineershadthusreachedthedevelopmentgoalforthe
M102,namelytocreatepowerreservesandimprovefuel
economy.Moreover,thesmoothoperationofthefour-cylinder
wasintendedtoapproximatethesix-cylinderin-lineengines.
Comparedwiththismorecomplexenginemodel,thefour-cylinderhadtheadvantagesofhightorque,inparticularintheimportant
lowerenginespeedrange,andhigherefficiencyasaresultofits
smallerfrictionlosses.Inthepressreleaseforthenewengine,
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
63/133
Page63
Mercedes-Benzalsoemphasizedthat,intheM102,nostructural
experimentshadbeenmade,butinsteadtheenginerepresented
anoptimumcompromiseofalloftherequirementsforapassenger-
carenginethatwaseconomical,suitableforeverydayuse,and
reliable.
Thecylindersofthenewenginewereprovidedwithhemispheric
combustionchamberswithasquishlipinthecylinderhead.This
wasintendedtoguaranteemaximumswirltobeabletoignite
evenveryleanmixtures.Intakeandexhaustportsfacedeach
otherinaccordancewiththecross-flowprinciple.Tobeableto
increasetheexhaustports,sparkplugswithasizeofonly16
millimeterswereused.
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
64/133
Page64
Endofjointproductionnetworkforgasolineanddiesel
engines
Tobuildagasolineengineoptimizedinthisway,Mercedes-Benz
hadtoabandontheintegratedproductionnetworkthathadbeen
partiallyestablishedbetweengasolinefour-cylindersanddiesel
passenger-carengines.Thisnetworkhaditsoriginsinthe1950s
andhadbeenestablishedagainstthebackgroundofmuchlower
productionfiguresatthetime.
Theconcentrationonengineblockspurelyforgasolineunits
allowedtheemploymentofveryprecisestructuralmeasuresfor
weightreduction.Thus,forthefour-cylinderin-lineengine,the
engineersdidnotuselightalloybutparticularlythinwall
thicknessesmadeofgraycastironinstead.UnlikeinV8engines,
lightalloywouldnothaveyieldedsuchsignificantweight
reductions.
V-enginesfortheW126S-Class
In1979,Mercedes-BenzpresentedthenewS-Class(W126series)
withtworevisedeight-cylinderengines.TheV8enginesofthe
predecessorserieswerereplacedbyengineswithincreased
displacementandalight-alloycrankcase.Thefive-literM117E50
enginethatreplacedthe4.5-litergraycast-ironenginehadalready
beenfittedinthe450SLC5.0.Theengineersdevelopedthe3.8-
literlight-alloyM116E38enginebasedontheexampleofthe
five-literenginefromtheveteran3.5-literV8withagraycast-iron
block.Owingtotheirhigheroutputatalowerweight,thenewV8enginesallowedimprovedperformancewithgreaterfuel
economy.Unchangedintherangewerethecarburetorversion
andtheinjectionversionofthe
-
8/3/2019 MB Engine History
65/133
Page65
2.8-litersix-cylinder:thesewerebothprovenengineswithadual
camshaft.
In1981,aspartoftheMercedes-Benzenergyconceptforreducing
consumptionandpollutantemissions,thecompanythoroughly
revisedtheV8engines.Inadditiontoanincreaseincompression,
camshaftswithchangedvalvetiming,air-bathedinjectionvalves,
andelectronicidlingspeedcontrolfiguredonthelistof
improvements.Owingtothechangedcamshafttuning,the
maximumtorquecouldbeshiftedtolowerenginespeeds,andin
the3.8-literengineevenincreased.Thisengineunderwent
particularlyradicalchanges:inordertoachieveamorefavorable
volume-to-surfaceratio,theborewasreducedandthestroke
increased.Themodified3.8-literV8nowhadaslightlyincreased
displacement.
Inthetwoeight-cylinderengines,slightoutputlosseshadtobe
accepted,compensatingtosomeextentfortheconsiderably
improvedeconomicefficiency.Inthetwosix-cylinderengines,
therewasalsoarangeofdetailmodificationswithresulting
savings,althoughthesewerelesspronounced.Theoutput
potentialwasnotcompromisedasaresultofthesemeasures.
In1985,Mercedes-BenzpresentedacompletelyrevisedS-Class
line-upwithnewengines.Twonewlydesignedsix-cylinder
enginesreplacedtheprovenM110:insteadofthecarburetor
model,a
2.6-literinjectionengine(M103E26)wasnowused,whilethe
three-literM103E30engine,developedinparallel,succeededtheinjectionvariantsoftheM110.Alsonewtotherangewasthe4.2-
literV8M116E42enginewhichwascreatedbyenlargingthe
displacementofthe3.8-literengineandnowreplacedthe