What pops into your mind when you are asked to think about a Mercedes-Benz? For many people, the first line of Janis Joplin’s iconic song (“Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz?”) sums things up perfectly, as the brand has long been synonymous with luxury and aspiration. The company has had an interesting history and we thought we would share some fascinating facts about Mercedes-Benz that you may not know.
Did you know?
Karl Benz the first owner of Mercedes-Benz was the first person to have a driving licence. In 1888 he had to receive written permission from the authorities to drive his car on the road after residents complained about the noise and the smell.
There is some debate about the correct way to spell the owner’s name. He preferred to go as Carl and used this spelling for one of the companies that he established. However, all his official documents spell Karl with a K.
The safety cage construction (where there is a reinforced structure around the passenger area but the front and rear of the car are designed to crumple in a controlled way) was first developed by Mercedes-Benz in 1951. Its goal was to protect vehicle occupants and this construction technique is now used in most cars today.
Travall currently offers vehicle-specific car accessories for 63 Mercedes-Benz models. The product range includes guards, dividers, boot liners, rubber car mats, and plastic bumper protectors that are designed for each model Mercedes-Benz. For the Travall Guard alone we have 21 models of the guard for Mercedes-Benz vehicles and have more in development. The Travall web site offers a helpful vehicle selector, which will show you what accessories we have available for your Mercedes-Benz.
On the Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star logo, the spaces denote the land, the sky and the sea.
Every car body is welded in 10,000 places, so there is no annoying rattle from nuts and bolts on a journey.
The seats in a Mercedes-Benz were designed in consultation with an orthopaedic physician, and are intended to support the back, knee joints and the kidneys. The seat springs are also tuned to the car’s suspension, to help reduce muscle fatigue for the vehicle occupants.
The name Mercedes means mercy, but derives from the latin word merces, which means reward – the perfect meaning for a luxury vehicle. The car brand was named after Karl Benz (the first owner) but also after a young Austrian girl named Mercedes, whose father (a customer of Karl Benz) had named the car he purchased after his daughter.
