95 Year of Automitve Dominance with Mercedes Benz
Mercedes-Benz is one of the most prestigious brands in the car industry. In this article, we'll go through its beginning and some of the memorable cars that this company has produced over the years.
Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz
The founders of the oldest car manufacturers in Germany never met. Carl Benz And Gottlieb Daimler founded their companies in the late 1880s and actually started as competitors. Interestingly, their ground braking inventions happened while they were only less than 100 kilometers away from each other.
The Merger
In 1925, when the two companies were forced to merge by banks because of the hard situations after WW1, none of their founders were in charge of their companies anymore. Daimler had passed away and the 80 years old Carl Benz, was retired. However, the merge process started and the star of Daimler with the laurel wreath of Benz created the now-iconic Mercedes-Benz brand. The «Mercedes» is actually the name of Daimler`s daughter.
START OF THE MERCEDES BENZ
On the 28th of June 1926, the merge became effective and it marked the beginning of the Mercedes-Benz. In the rest of this post, we will go over some of the most notable products of the Mercedes Benz over the past 95 years. Most of the mentioned cars are either already made for GTA, or will be made in the near future.
Let’s start !
The E Class - W114
Let’s start with the E Class. The most successful Mercedes product at the time. the Mercedes Benz sold 1.9M units of this car from 1968 until 1976. It was produced in the sedan, coupe, and limousin variants. Therefore the convertible one that you see in the picture above, is not actually an official Mercedes Benz product!
W123
The W114 was the best-selling Mercedes Benz until the W123 was introduced. These were some of the best and most reliable cars that Mercedes have ever produced. The W123 broke the W114’s sales record with 2.8M units sold and it is the last unofficial E Class before the introduction of the W124. Did W124 repeat the success of the W123?
W124
YES! The W124, the first official E Class, continued to deliver quality while being extremely reliable. It was also one of the safest cars in the world when it was released. Between 1984 to 1995 it sold 2.5M units and towards the end of its run, the 500E was released which had a 5.0L V8 engine, and will discuss it more in the future. For now, let’s review a much more powerful E Class.
The E53
The E53 and The E63 are the powerful AMG versions of the normal E class. These variants have been a part of the E-Class for the past couple of years and compared to the E63, the E53 shown in the picture is a bit more controllable. it can go from 0-100km/h in 4.4 seconds, but if even that is not enough for you, there is the E63!
E63
The ultimate super sports sedan by Mercedes. The E63 is a powerful monster of a car, going from 0 to 100 in only 3.3 seconds.
EQE
The EQE is not actually an E class but rather an electric equivalent of the E class. Mercedes-Benz has recently introduced the EQ lineup which is consisted of all-electric cars and for each traditional class, there is an electric one such as the EQE. The base version of the EQE can go from 0 to 100 km/h in 6 seconds. But can it repeat the success of its combustion engine predecessors?
The SL - R107
The Mercedes-Benz’s luxurious sports car in the 70s. This car was one of the most sought-after sports cars of its time and interestingly, the third generation’s production ran from 1971 until 1989. Over time, the SL lost its place as the best sports car in the Mercedes-Benz’s lineup and sale numbers clearly show that.
Introduction of the AMG GT
The introduction of the AMG GT lineup in 2014, meant that the SL was no longer the main option available for car enthusiasts who wanted a high-performance luxury, Mercedes. Especially with the convertible variant, the SL was no longer needed and the sales numbers dropped significantly. However, that was not the end and Mercedes came back to rescue the beloved SL.
The Comeback of the SL
Although nowadays it is risky to invest money in anything other than SUVs, Mercedes-Benz decided to give the SL another chance. It is here to once again prove it is the ultimate luxury convertible sports car in the Mercedes-Benz`s lineup. Which one do you prefer to have? an AMG GT or the SL?
The Best Generation of the SL?
The legendary R129 was an icon in the 90s and maybe the last ‘maintainable’ SL ever. This generation of the Mercedes-Benz SL started its production in 1989 and continued until 2002. That’s why its design belongs to the early 90s when its production began rather than the 2000s.
Beginning of the S Class
The W116 was the first official S class when it was released in 1972. This was the first car that promoted the new design of the Mercedes which continued until the 1990s with cars such as the W201 and the W124. Compare this car to its predecessor ( W108 ) and you see how much of a leap this one was compared to its previous generation in terms of design and the equipment.
The 7th Generation of the S Class
When this car was first unveiled, some people didn’t like the design, stating that the Mercedes has lost its signature with this one. However, since its release, the W223 has proved that it’s once again the ultimate luxury choice for the people who can afford it. Many cutting-edge technologies along with the best safety features have made this car the obvious choice **
S Class goes All-electric
The latest addition to the S class is not an actually S Class. The EQS is an all-electric car and an equivalent of the Mercedes Benz S class. Currently, it’s the most luxurious and high-tech electric car in the world. Will it replace the S class in the future?
Baby Benz! The W201
The one that started the Benz C class series.
Although the w201 itself is not considered a C Class, it was so successful as an entry Mercedes-Benz product that made the company create a new class entirely for economy cars. During its production, Mercedes-Benz made amazing cars based on the W201 such as the 190e Evo II and the 190e Cosworth.
The Most Luxury C? The W206
In 2021, the Mercedes Benz introduced, perhaps, the most luxury C class ever. Usually, the interior quality and the equipment of a C class are far behind the flagship S class. But in this case, the W206 rivals the S in some areas. It has a beautiful interior with ambient lighting, high-quality materials, and a huge vertical display screen in the middle of the dashboard. And if you ask me the exterior design is even better than the S class.
And that’s it. There is a lot more that I couldn’t cover in this post, and maybe I’ll do a class-specific post in the future. Let me know if you like this kind of content so we can make more in the future.
95 Years with Mercedes-Benz
