{"id":297,"date":"2026-01-13T09:48:54","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T09:48:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/?page_id=297"},"modified":"2026-02-11T19:00:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T19:00:58","slug":"anniversary","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"ANNIVERSARY"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

HISTORY & ANNIVERSARY<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The history of the <\/span>Mercedes-Benz brand<\/b> dates back to the <\/span>1880s<\/b>. It was then that two German inventors and engineers – the true fathers of modern motoring, <\/span>Carl Benz<\/b> and <\/span>Gottlieb Daimler<\/b> – independently developed vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, now regarded as the world\u2019s first automobiles and motorcycles.<\/span><\/p>

Carl Benz<\/b> completed the construction of his first automobile in <\/span>1885<\/b>. Initial tests took place that same year, although not yet under real road conditions. On <\/span>29 January 1886<\/b>, Benz filed a patent for a <\/span>\u201cvehicle powered by a gasoline engine\u201d<\/span><\/i> with the Imperial Patent Office. Today, this date is widely recognised as the symbolic beginning of the automotive industry. As a result, <\/span>2026 marks the 140th anniversary of the creation of the first automobile and of the world\u2019s oldest car manufacturer<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>

The <\/span>Benz Patent-Motorwagen No. 1<\/b> made its first public road journey on <\/span>3 July 1886<\/b>. The three-wheeled vehicle was powered by a <\/span>1-horsepower engine<\/b> and reached a top speed of approximately <\/span>16 km\/h<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>

Two years later, in <\/span>1885<\/b>, the <\/span>Daimler Reitwagen<\/b> was built – a vehicle now considered the <\/span>world\u2019s first motorcycle<\/b>. Interestingly, its frame was made entirely of wood, it featured no suspension, and its wheels were derived from carriage construction. Only a year later, Daimler and Maybach began work on a project aimed at creating <\/span>\u201chorse-drawn carriages powered by engines\u201d<\/span><\/i>. This marked the birth of the <\/span>first four-wheeled automobile<\/b>. In <\/span>1887<\/b>, Daimler founded a factory in Cannstatt dedicated to the production of internal combustion engines and motor vehicles.<\/span><\/p>

A <\/span>breakthrough moment<\/b> in the company\u2019s history and in the development of the automotive industry as a whole came with the start of cooperation between Daimler and <\/span>Emil Jellinek<\/b>. The Austrian entrepreneur first became Daimler\u2019s representative on the French Riviera, and later guaranteed the purchase of <\/span>36 vehicles<\/b>, on the condition that Daimler would produce a car to his exact specifications. The aim was to secure victories in the emerging world of motorsport.<\/span><\/p>

Daimler accepted the challenge, and in <\/span>1900<\/b> his factory produced a car featuring a <\/span>35-horsepower four-stroke engine<\/b>, an innovative cooling system and a gearbox. In <\/span>March 1901<\/b>, <\/span>Wilhelm Werner<\/b> won the race in Nice driving this very car. The victory brought widespread recognition not only to the driver, but also to the German manufacturer, the Austrian entrepreneur and to the car itself, which Jellinek named after his daughter: <\/span>Mercedes<\/b>. Thus, the <\/span>Mercedes<\/b> name was born and adopted for future automobiles produced by Daimler.<\/span><\/p>

In the following years, the companies founded by <\/span>Daimler and Benz<\/b> largely competed with one another. However, the economic situation following <\/span>World War I<\/b> and its consequences led to the <\/span>merger of the two companies in 1926<\/b>, resulting in the formation of <\/span>Daimler-Benz AG<\/b> and the start of automobile production under the name <\/span>Mercedes-Benz<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>

As a result, <\/span>2026 marks a triple anniversary<\/b>:<\/span><\/p>

  • 140 years since the creation of the first automobile<\/b>

    <\/b><\/li>
  • 100 years since the merger of the companies founded by the fathers of motoring<\/b>

    <\/b><\/li>
  • 100 years of the Mercedes-Benz brand<\/b><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    HISTORY & ANNIVERSARY The history of the Mercedes-Benz brand dates back to the 1880s. It was then that two German inventors and engineers – the true fathers of modern motoring, Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler – independently developed vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, now regarded as the world\u2019s first automobiles and motorcycles. Carl Benz completed the construction of his first automobile in 1885. Initial tests took place that same year, although not yet under real road conditions. On 29 January 1886, Benz filed a patent for a \u201cvehicle powered by a gasoline engine\u201d with the Imperial Patent Office. Today, this date is widely recognised as the symbolic beginning of the automotive industry. As a result, 2026 marks the 140th anniversary of the creation of the first automobile and of the world\u2019s oldest car manufacturer. The Benz Patent-Motorwagen No. 1 made its first public road journey on 3 July 1886. The three-wheeled vehicle was powered by a 1-horsepower engine and reached a top speed of approximately 16 km\/h. Two years later, in 1885, the Daimler Reitwagen was built – a vehicle now considered the world\u2019s first motorcycle. Interestingly, its frame was made entirely of wood, it featured no suspension, and its wheels were derived from carriage construction. Only a year later, Daimler and Maybach began work on a project aimed at creating \u201chorse-drawn carriages powered by engines\u201d. This marked the birth of the first four-wheeled automobile. In 1887, Daimler founded a factory in Cannstatt dedicated to the production of internal combustion engines and motor vehicles. A breakthrough moment in the company\u2019s history and in the development of the automotive industry as a whole came with the start of cooperation between Daimler and Emil Jellinek. The Austrian entrepreneur first became Daimler\u2019s representative on the French Riviera, and later guaranteed the purchase of 36 vehicles, on the condition that Daimler would produce a car to his exact specifications. The aim was to secure victories in the emerging world of motorsport. Daimler accepted the challenge, and in 1900 his factory produced a car featuring a 35-horsepower four-stroke engine, an innovative cooling system and a gearbox. In March 1901, Wilhelm Werner won the race in Nice driving this very car. The victory brought widespread recognition not only to the driver, but also to the German manufacturer, the Austrian entrepreneur and to the car itself, which Jellinek named after his daughter: Mercedes. Thus, the Mercedes name was born and adopted for future automobiles produced by Daimler. In the following years, the companies founded by Daimler and Benz largely competed with one another. However, the economic situation following World War I and its consequences led to the merger of the two companies in 1926, resulting in the formation of Daimler-Benz AG and the start of automobile production under the name Mercedes-Benz. As a result, 2026 marks a triple anniversary: 140 years since the creation of the first automobile 100 years since the merger of the companies founded by the fathers of motoring 100 years of the Mercedes-Benz brand<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":700,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-297","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nANNIVERSARY - Mercedes 140th Anniversary<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the rich history behind the Mercedes-Benz brand on its 140th anniversary, from the first automobile in 1886 to the formation of Daimler-Benz and the legacy of innovation in automotive excellence.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/anniversary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"pl_PL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"HISTORY & ANNIVERSARY\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover the rich history behind the Mercedes-Benz brand on its 140th anniversary, from the first automobile in 1886 to the formation of Daimler-Benz and the legacy of innovation in automotive excellence.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/anniversary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mercedes 140th Anniversary\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-11T19:00:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20-Belka-Jubileusz-1-1024x752.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"752\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"HISTORY & ANNIVERSARY\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Discover the rich history behind the Mercedes-Benz brand on its 140th anniversary, from the first automobile in 1886 to the formation of Daimler-Benz and the legacy of innovation in automotive excellence.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20-Belka-Jubileusz-1.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Szacowany czas czytania\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minuty\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mercedes140th.eu\\\/eng\\\/anniversary\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mercedes140th.eu\\\/eng\\\/anniversary\\\/\",\"name\":\"ANNIVERSARY - Mercedes 140th Anniversary\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mercedes140th.eu\\\/eng\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mercedes140th.eu\\\/eng\\\/anniversary\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mercedes140th.eu\\\/eng\\\/anniversary\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mercedes140th.eu\\\/eng\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/20-Belka-Jubileusz-1.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-13T09:48:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-11T19:00:58+00:00\",\"description\":\"Discover the rich history behind the Mercedes-Benz brand on its 140th anniversary, from the first automobile in 1886 to the formation of Daimler-Benz and the legacy of innovation in automotive excellence.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mercedes140th.eu\\\/eng\\\/anniversary\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"pl-PL\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/mercedes140th.eu\\\/eng\\\/anniversary\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"pl-PL\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mercedes140th.eu\\\/eng\\\/anniversary\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mercedes140th.eu\\\/eng\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/20-Belka-Jubileusz-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mercedes140th.eu\\\/eng\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/20-Belka-Jubileusz-1.png\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1503},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mercedes140th.eu\\\/eng\\\/anniversary\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Strona g\u0142\u00f3wna\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mercedes140th.eu\\\/eng\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"ANNIVERSARY\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mercedes140th.eu\\\/eng\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mercedes140th.eu\\\/eng\\\/\",\"name\":\"Mercedes 140th Anniversary\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mercedes140th.eu\\\/eng\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"pl-PL\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"ANNIVERSARY - Mercedes 140th Anniversary","description":"Discover the rich history behind the Mercedes-Benz brand on its 140th anniversary, from the first automobile in 1886 to the formation of Daimler-Benz and the legacy of innovation in automotive excellence.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/anniversary\/","og_locale":"pl_PL","og_type":"article","og_title":"HISTORY & ANNIVERSARY","og_description":"Discover the rich history behind the Mercedes-Benz brand on its 140th anniversary, from the first automobile in 1886 to the formation of Daimler-Benz and the legacy of innovation in automotive excellence.","og_url":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/anniversary\/","og_site_name":"Mercedes 140th Anniversary","article_modified_time":"2026-02-11T19:00:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":752,"url":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20-Belka-Jubileusz-1-1024x752.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"HISTORY & ANNIVERSARY","twitter_description":"Discover the rich history behind the Mercedes-Benz brand on its 140th anniversary, from the first automobile in 1886 to the formation of Daimler-Benz and the legacy of innovation in automotive excellence.","twitter_image":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20-Belka-Jubileusz-1.png","twitter_misc":{"Szacowany czas czytania":"4 minuty"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/anniversary\/","url":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/anniversary\/","name":"ANNIVERSARY - Mercedes 140th Anniversary","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/anniversary\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/anniversary\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20-Belka-Jubileusz-1.png","datePublished":"2026-01-13T09:48:54+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-11T19:00:58+00:00","description":"Discover the rich history behind the Mercedes-Benz brand on its 140th anniversary, from the first automobile in 1886 to the formation of Daimler-Benz and the legacy of innovation in automotive excellence.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/anniversary\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"pl-PL","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/anniversary\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"pl-PL","@id":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/anniversary\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20-Belka-Jubileusz-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20-Belka-Jubileusz-1.png","width":2048,"height":1503},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/anniversary\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Strona g\u0142\u00f3wna","item":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"ANNIVERSARY"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/#website","url":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/","name":"Mercedes 140th Anniversary","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"pl-PL"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1538,"href":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/297\/revisions\/1538"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mercedes140th.eu\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}