Dorigi Project

 In Russia, Daimler and Maybach gained much experience while testing engine performance in the severe cold. During his time in Russia, Daimler often sent postcards or telegrams to his wife, Emma. Peculiarly, every time he sent a postcard to Emma, Daimler would draw a three-pointed star and add a note: “Someday this star will shine brilliantly above our factory.” The star shape that Daimler drew and sent would later be registered as a trademark in 1909, and this star became the origin of the current Mercedes-Benz emblem, the three-pointed star. Daimler believed that this star symbolized the prosperity of his business and would shine above his factory. Daimler’s three-pointed star registered as a trademark in 1909 In December, after returning from Russia, Daimler and Maybach went to work at Deutz and entered Otto’s office to report on their trip. They shared with Otto what they had observed in Russia and also pointed out the problems that the Otto engine faced in Russian conditions. ...

 On December 31, 1879, Benz created the gasoline engine but was unable to build an automobile using it. The problem was not only the lack of funds for research due to the poor performance of his business at the time, but also his indecisive personality, which left him unable to take action. While Benz was hesitating, wondering whether to eat the nearly finished meal with his bare hands or with a spoon, Daimler and Maybach were troubled not by financial or technical problems, but by something entirely different. Although Otto prohibited research on engines using petroleum as fuel, Daimler persistently argued that petroleum, which had shown strong explosions, should be used as fuel. The more Daimler pressed his case, the more Otto regarded Gottlieb Daimler as a competitor and refused to accept it. Meanwhile, the Otto engine, which used gas as fuel, achieved a breakthrough through Maybach’s continuous improvements, producing 2.2 horsepower and exceeding 10% thermal efficiency. This wa...

 Despite business misfortunes, Benz strove to invent a new engine, and in 1878 he focused on securing new patents to earn more profit. Since he did not have enough money to hire workers, Benz’s wife, Bertha, diligently assisted in engine research. Even under difficult financial circumstances, Benz continued to search for investors while pursuing his studies with Bertha Ringer’s devoted help. When Benz brought home depleted batteries each night after research, Bertha would recharge them overnight by running her sewing machine. With his wife’s dedicated support, he concentrated his efforts on developing a high-performance two-stroke engine, and on December 31, 1878, New Year’s Eve, he completed a high-output two-stroke gas engine. That engine was patented in 1879. Soon, with Bertha’s help and his genius, Benz achieved other groundbreaking inventions to power his high-output two-stroke gas engine. He obtained patents for a speed control system, a battery-powered spark ignition method,...

 In 1877, Maybach moved to Cologne to take a rest and focused on improving the design of the engine for commercialization. In August 1877, the engine was patented under the name “Otto Engine.” Otto’s engine delivered high efficiency and was less noisy than previous engines. It became extremely popular, selling more than 30,000 units within ten years, and Otto accumulated great wealth. Otto’s engine was a great improvement over earlier inventions, but it did not satisfy Daimler. Daimler believed the engine needed further improvements—shrinking its size and increasing its power so it could be applied to vehicles, ships, and airships. However, Otto’s engine was too large and heavy, with insufficient output, and it required city gas as fuel, which limited its applications. Daimler and Maybach had already recognized these shortcomings while working on Otto’s engine, and since 1875, they had been secretly experimenting with petroleum at their workshop in Cannstatt. In fact, the float car...

 Time passed, and on May 9, 1876, at the factory of the German Gas Engine Manufacturing Company (hereafter referred to as Deutz), a number of engineers and officials had gathered around a single engine. Among them were Otto, Langen, Daimler, and Maybach. Their faces were filled with excitement, like children delighted, as they observed the cylindrical engine lying on its side, moving rapidly in reciprocation. Among them, Daimler congratulated Otto: “Congratulations, President Otto. At last, the fruits of your long research have been realized. This engine, born from your idea, will now move the entire world.” Otto, smiling broadly, replied to Daimler: “Thank you, Daimler. Without you and Maybach, this might have remained merely an idea. I believe this engine came to life thanks to your and Maybach’s outstanding skills. Especially the float carburetor Maybach invented last year—I consider it a truly remarkable invention. Thanks to that carburetor, this engine has become far more comp...

 At the end of 1874, a gentleman was hurrying down a street in Mannheim. He kept glancing at his watch as he pushed his way through the crowd. His name was Gottlieb Daimler. He was on his way to meet an old friend who lived in Mannheim, but since he was already very late, he was almost running. While rushing through the busy street and weaving dangerously between people, Daimler suddenly collided head-on with another gentleman. The impact sent both of them stumbling backwards and falling to the ground. Daimler, realizing it was his fault for moving so quickly, immediately apologized. “I’m terribly sorry.” “I’m terribly sorry.” As soon as Daimler spoke, the other man said the exact same thing. Normally, in such a situation, people would glare angrily, tell the other to watch where they were going, or even curse. Yet this stranger apologized instead. Daimler thought he was a strange man, and the other man also looked at him as though he were strange. In fact, this man too had been hu...

 After completing his formal education, Benz received professional training at several companies, but none of them truly captured his heart. What fascinated him instead was the internal combustion engine, which he studied alone at night after working more than 12 hours during the day. Benz realized that in order to create an internal combustion engine and the necessary machinery to make it work, he needed skills from various fields. For this reason, he trained at different companies for seven years to master the techniques he required. As a result, Benz acquired diverse expertise in various factories and laid the foundation for building a car that could run without horses. His training began at the mechanical engineering company Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft in Karlsruhe, where he worked for two years handling different machines. Later, he moved to Mannheim, working as a draftsman and designer at a meter factory. In 1868, he joined Gebrüder Benckiser Eisenwerke und Maschinenfabrik in P...

After being introduced to the genius young Maybach through Werner’s recommendation, Daimler took an interest in him and kept a watchful eye on his growth. Indeed, Maybach was a man with brilliant ideas. Without realizing it, Daimler became his mentor, and by 1865, when Maybach turned 19, he was already capable of designing excellent engines. From then until Daimler’s death in 1900, Maybach worked alongside him as his assistant and lifelong colleague. One quiet morning in 1865, Maybach entered Daimler’s office holding a newspaper and greeted him. “Good morning, Mr. Daimler.” “Ah, good morning.” Maybach continued, showing Daimler a page from the newspaper. “Have you read today’s paper?” “No, not yet. Has something important happened?” “Well, yes. There’s an article I can’t quite understand.” “What kind of article is it?” “You’ll understand once you read this page.” “All right then. While I read, could you bring me a cup of hot tea?” Soon Daimler’s eyes fell on the page Maybach had opened...

 In 1863, when Daimler was just becoming acquainted with Maybach, at the main gate of Karlsruhe Polytechnic in Germany, a young man was riding out on a bicycle. He was a kind-looking and attractive man who had studied under the famous professor Ferdinand Redtenbacher (1809.7.25 – 1863.4.16) at the Polytechnic. He was speeding down the road on a velocipede fitted with solid rubber tires. On the same road, carriages and large steam cars were puffing out black smoke from their chimneys. The young man skillfully maneuvered between the massive steam cars, riding with acrobatic movements. Those bulky steam cars could not catch up with him and only fell farther and farther behind. At that time, steam cars could overtake a man riding a velocipede, but if the boiler pressure rose too high, there was always the risk of an explosion. So, they could not drive at maximum speed. As he observed all this, he imagined making the large internal combustion engines he had seen at the Polytechnic into ...