1-157-815 - Oxford Science Archive/Heritage Images

Mercedes 35 hp motor car, 1901. Designed by Wilhelm Maybach and manufactured by the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft of Cannstatt, Germany, these cars marked a great leap forward in design, and were very successful in early motor racing events. The Mercedes name arose when Emil Jellinek, an Austrian-born businessman, ordered 36 cars from Daimler in 1900. He stipulated two conditions; that he be the sole agent in Austria-Hungary, France and America, and that the cars be given the name Mercedes, after his daughter. He himself had used the name as a pseudonym when entering motor races. The name caught on, and the company began to use it for all their cars, registering it as a trademark in 1902.