Mercedes-Benz
German car maker formed when Daimler and Benz merged, known for luxury cars and sports cars such as the 300 SL.
Carl Benz built the first car with an internal combustion engine in 1886, and Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach were making engines and cars at the same time. The name Mercedes came from the daughter of Daimler's dealer Emil Jellinek. The two companies merged in 1926.
After the Second World War the 300 SL with gullwing doors and the Pagoda, the 230 SL, became classics. Béla Barényi developed the safety body with crumple zones, and the G-Class of 1979 became an off-road vehicle that lives on.
The three-pointed star in a ring, standing for engines on land, on water and in the air.
Type designations of numbers and letters, such as W 198 for the 300 SL, in the chassis number.