Mercedes was a brand that began under the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft in 1900. The very first Mercedes car was built by Wilhelm Maybach according to the specifications given by Emil Jellinek and was released in 1900, the Mercedes 35 hp which sported the then newly-designed engine called Daimler-Mercedes.
When the DMG merged with another company known as Benz and Cie, the name Mercedes was changed to what most people recognize today as the Mercedes-Benz, first coined in 1926. As of late, the Mercedes-Benz line of vehicles is composed of passenger cars, trucks, buses and vans. Notable models include the 260 D, the world’s first diesel production car, the SL73 AMG whose 7.3 V12 engine is the biggest ever put in a Mercedes-Benz, and of course, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren which has been conquering lists of fast cars since 2004. The latest unit is the SLS AMG, a luxury grand tourist produced in 2010 to replace the SLR McLaren. It was first shown in the Frankfurt Auto Show in 2009, and although production has just begun this year, the car is already booked for many ‘upcoming shows.’ It will be the car featured in the Gran Turismo 5, a PlayStation 3 racing game, and the safety car of the 2010 Formula One season.
