140 years of the automobile, 130 years of transport, 100 years of Mercedes-Benz: An anniversary year full of magic moments

• 140 years of innovation since the birth of the automobile: Benz patent in 1886
• 130 years of transport: The first van and the first truck were unveiled in 1896
• 100 years of Mercedes-Benz: Benz & Cie. and Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft merged in 1926
• 50 years since premiere of model series 123: Milestone in the tradition of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class
• 20 years of the Mercedes-Benz Museum: Popular international destination since 2006

Stuttgart. Mercedes-Benz Classic is celebrating numerous vehicle anniversaries in 2026, as well as anniversaries of motorsport successes and company events. Press releases, “Mercedes-Benz Classic Notes” and the “Mercedes-Benz Classic Motorsport Newsletter” will be providing information on these and other topics throughout the year.

The Classic M@RS multimedia database offers information and material on the entire Mercedes-Benz history. You can find it here: mercedes-benz-archive.com/mars/login/login.xhtml. Simply register and search the extensive archive holdings online.

The link to the complete illustrated chronicle of the company:
mercedes-benz-publicarchive.com/marsClassic/en/instance/ko/Illustrierte-Chronik.xhtml?oid=4909473

The following overview lists important anniversaries for 2026:

• 23 January 1951 (75 years ago): Patent application for the safety body by Béla Barényi. The series premiere was in the W 111 “tail fin” saloons in 1959.
• 27 January 1976 (50 years ago): Presentation of Mercedes-Benz model series 123. The Estate and Coupé completed the portfolio soon afterwards.
• 29 January 1886 (140 years ago): Carl Benz applied for a patent for his three-wheeled “vehicle with gas-engine drive” – the birth of the automobile.
• 3 to 8 February 1986 (40 years ago): Mercedes-Benz presented the ASR and ASD assistance systems as well as the 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system in Finland.
• 8 March 1886 (140 years ago): Gottlieb Daimler ordered a carriage. The first four-wheeled automobile, with its high-speed combustion engine, was built on this basis.
• 25 to 29 March 1901 (125 years ago): The Mercedes 35 PS dominated the Nice Week. “We have entered the Mercedes era,” summarised the Secretary General of the Automobile Club of France.
• 19 to 29 April 1951 (75 years ago): International Motor Show (IAA) premiere of the prestigious Mercedes-Benz 300 (W 186) and the Mercedes-Benz 220 (W 187) – the precursor to the S-Class.
• 19 May 2006 (20 years ago): Opening of the Mercedes-Benz Museum at the gates of the Untertürkheim plant – a brand fixture that has enjoyed enormous international popularity ever since.
• 25 April to 5 May 1996 (30 years ago): The Mercedes-Benz SLK (R 170) made its debut at the Turin Motor Show. With its steel vario-roof, the Roadster opened up a new market segment.
• 12 to 15 June 1976 (50 years ago): The C 111-II D achieved three world records and 16 class records in Nardò – where the Concept AMG GT XX also became a world record holder in 2025.
• 28/29 June 1926 (100 years ago): Benz & Cie. and Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft merged to form what was then Daimler-Benz AG. The Mercedes-Benz brand was born.
• 30 June 1996 (30 years ago): A Mercedes-Benz C 36 AMG was the brand’s first official Safety Car in Formula 1 at Magny-Cours. Since then, Mercedes-Benz has provided this important vehicle without interruption.
• 31 July 2001 (25 years ago): The Mercedes-Benz SL of model series R 230 celebrated its premiere at Deichtorhallen Hamburg. The Roadster was equipped with numerous innovations.
• 18 August 1896 (130 years ago): Gottlieb Daimler presented the world’s first motorised truck. He sold the first example to the British Motor Syndicate in London.
• 24 August 1986 (40 years ago): The Sauber-Mercedes C8 Group C racing car achieved its first victory at the Nürburgring. It gave the brand impetus for its return to motorsport.
• 12 September 1926 (100 years ago): In the Solitude race, race director Alfred Neubauer used his signalling system to communicate with the drivers for the first time.
• 4 to 14 October 1951 (75 years ago): The sporty and luxurious 300 S (W 188) was presented at the Paris Motor Show as a two-door version of Type 300 (W 186) as a Coupé, Cabriolet A and Roadster. It was the fastest German production car.
• 9 October 1946 (80 years ago): Testing of the Unimog prototype begins. Former Daimler-Benz AG engineers develop the “Universal Motorized Device for Agriculture”. The Unimog was initially built by Boehringer starting in 1949, and from 1951 onwards at the Mercedes-Benz Gaggenau plant.
• 15 October 2006 (20 years ago): Bernd Schneider secured his fifth DTM championship in the DTM race at Le Mans. This makes the current brand ambassador the record champion.
• 5 December 1896 (130 years ago): Benz & Cie. supplied a “delivery vehicle” – the world’s first van. The “Velociped” was also available with a load compartment.

Further research and multimedia material: mercedes-benz-archive.com/museum

Mercedes-Benz Classic on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/mercedesbenzmuseum
https://www.facebook.com/mercedesbenzmuseum

Contact:
Peter Becker, +49 176 30 909 790, peter.becker@mercedes-benz.com
Julia Löwenstein, +49 151 58 610 215, julia.loewenstein@mercedes-benz.com
Frank Scheibner, +49 160 8 680 266, frank.scheibner@mercedes-benz.com

Enquiries by e-mail to classic@mercedes-benz.com or online at www.mercedes-benz.com/classic

Press photos and further press information: media.mercedes-benz.com

Mercedes-Benz Heritage GmbH
“Heritage creates Future” – committed to this guiding principle, Mercedes-Benz Heritage GmbH as a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz Group AG has various divisions responsible for the entire range of historical topics relating to the brand with the three-pointed star.

The Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart is one of the best-known and most popular automotive museums in the world, comprehensively presenting the fascinating history of the automobile since its invention in 1886 and bringing the history of the brand to life for a wide public in a unique way. Other historical sites relevant to the brand include the Gottlieb Daimler Memorial in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt, the birthplace of Gottlieb Daimler in Schorndorf and the Carl Benz House in Ladenburg.

The Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Fellbach serves as a centre of excellence for classic cars with the three-pointed star. In addition to an exclusive vehicle trade business, the experts offer services for and restorations of classic Mercedes-Benz vehicles and are the first port of call for genuine parts. With access to original vehicle documents in the archives, which document, preserve and maintain extensive evidence of the history of the company and the brand, Mercedes-Benz Heritage GmbH has a globally unique and unrivalled knowledge base.

In order to bring the special history of Mercedes-Benz to life, Mercedes-Benz Heritage GmbH takes part in a large number of renowned historic automobile events and trade fairs all over the world. Classic cars from the collection of over 1,000 vehicles are available for this purpose. In addition to communicating the brand’s history, the focus there is also on the exchange with the recognised Mercedes-Benz brand clubs and the classic community.