Everyone knows that Mercedes-Benz is of German origin but it started out as a brainchild of Daimler AG in 1926. However, long before 1926, the car already was around in simpler form in 1901 and 1886 with the Daimler Mercedes and the Benz Motorwagen.
The two men behind these cars collaborated to form Benz and Cie and later on in 1890, Daimler-Motoren-Gessellschaft (DMG). The logo was a transition from the 1909 cog wheel logo of Benz & Cie and the laurel wreath that was added after. Yet, it was not yet the birth of the unique star logo. That was to evolve later on. The name Mercedes comes from Emil Jellinek’s daughter.
Who is Emil Jellinek?
Emil Jellinek was an Austrian businessman with a bottomless desire for speed and sharp business acumen. He pressured DMG to produce faster and better engines. With every upgrade, he ordered more units for the purpose of selling them. By 1899 he was joining races using the car under Mercedes team. Eventually, the name transferred from team to car. The first model to be released by DMG as the Mercedes is recognized as the first modern car because of its unique engineering with low gravity, lightweight engine, high performance machine, and a new honeycomb-looking radiator.
By 1901, no car could equal that of the Mercedes and soon it was the most popular, in-demand car across Europe. The following year, the name Mercedes was adopted as the trade name and even Emil Jellinik had his name changed legally to Jellinek-Mercedes.
The 3-Point Star
The sons of Daimler wanted to use the star as the car’s logo in honor of their father who had passed away in 1900. The company’s board approved the request and by 1909, a new logo was launched. Initially, there were 2 logos: a 3 point star and a 4 point star. The latter was dropped as the 3 points would symbolize land, water, and air. The circle on the logo represents the radiator grill of the Mercedes. Today, the logo has undergone minimal changes and now represents safety and quality, tradition and ingenuity, and this is why as classic cars, the Mercedes is at the top of every collector’s car dream list.