Fully illustrated and highly detailed, The Ultimate History of Mercedes-Benz reveals the fascinating story of one of the world's most prestigious and desirable marques.

Here are the stories behind all of the great cars the earliest engine-powered Motorwagens, the record-breaking Blitzen Benz, the famous Silver Arrows racing cars, the instantlyecognizable 300SL Gullwig model, the elegant sedans and sports cars of the late twentieth century, the tiny Smart city car, the fabulous Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, and many more.

Two brilliant and farsighted engineers can justly claim the credit for the invention of the automobile during the 1880's: Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz. The visionaries established one of the great technological landmarks in human history, and the name of on car manufacturer will be forever linked to this stupendous achievement- Mercedes-Benz.

From humble origins, the automobile rapidly developed into the essential mode of personal transport and the products of Gotlieb Daimler and Karl Benz led the way. In 1926 the two companies joined forces to create Daimler-Benz AG, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz. Since then, Mercedes-Benz has built some of the most dramatic and desirable motor cars ever manufactured from the flamboyant 540Ks of the 1930s and the fabulous 300SL Gullwing sports cars of~the 1950s to today's SLR McLaren supercar. Many connoisseurs consider its finest creations to be contenders for the title 'Best Car in the World'.

Not content with simply building exemplary automobiles,the company also took its products racing to prove their strength and speed. In the process it fashioned one of the great racing team of all time - the legendary Silver Arrows that were driven by many of the greatest racing drivers:Rudolf Caracciola, Juan Manuel Fangio, and Stirling Moss,to name a few. And today the tradition is kept alive by the sleek silver Maclaren Mercedes Formula 1 racers.

This lavishly illustrated book chronicles the story from the earliest times to the present day revealing the reason why Daimler automobiles came to carry the 'Mercedes' name and how Daimler-Benz joined forces with the giant Chrysler corporation in 1998 to create the mighty DaimlerChrylser company. Mercedes- Benz remains at the forefront of automobile development in the 21st century, and the cars that proudly carry the three-pointed star are rightly acclaimed the brightest lights in the motoring firmament.

Introduction

1 Birth of the Automobile 1834-1899

2 The Arrival of Mercedes 1900-1913

3 Joining Forces 1914-1926

4 The Era of the Silver Arrows 1927-1939

5 Conflict and Revival 1940-1951

6 Economic Recovery 1952-1959

7 Creating a New Image 1960-1973

8 Keeping Ahead of the Game 1974-1984

9 The First 100 Years 1985-1995

10 New Horizons 1996-2008

Index