125 Years of Mercedes 35 hp: The Birth of the Modern Car

Explore the story of the Mercedes 35 hp, presented by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in 1900 — the first modern automobile that changed mobility forever.

125 years ago, on November 22, 1900, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in Cannstatt completed a car that redefined the idea of motion. The Mercedes 35 hp became the first automobile to completely abandon the principles of the motorised carriage. Its creation was made possible by the collaboration between engineer Wilhelm Maybach and businessman Emil Jellinek — a man who saw the automobile not merely as a means of transport but as the dawn of a new era.

It was Jellinek who demanded a powerful, stable and safe vehicle that could win races and still be suitable for everyday use. His request followed the tragic accident at the Nice–La Turbie race, in which driver Wilhelm Bauer lost his life. Racing under the pseudonym “Mercédès,” named after his daughter, Jellinek challenged Maybach to design a completely new type of car.

Maybach’s response was revolutionary. The Mercedes 35 hp introduced ideas that still define automotive engineering today: a low centre of gravity, a long wheelbase, a wide track and improved ergonomics. Its four-cylinder engine, with a displacement of 5.9 litres, produced 35 horsepower at 950 rpm — an exceptional figure for its time. A key innovation was Maybach’s honeycomb radiator, which ensured efficient cooling and became a defining visual element of the Mercedes identity for decades to come.

The first Mercedes 35 hp was delivered to Jellinek in Nice on December 22, 1900. In March 1901, the car achieved a resounding triumph at the Race Week in Nice: driver Wilhelm Werner won the Nice–Salon–Nice endurance race and the Nice–La Turbie hillclimb, reaching speeds of over 50 km/h. It was then that Paul Meyan, Secretary-General of the Automobile Club of France, declared, “We have entered the Mercedes era.”

The success of the 35 hp inspired Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft to release the 8/11 hp and 12/16 hp models, followed in 1902 by the Mercedes-Simplex series, which offered simpler and more comfortable operation. That same year, the company purchased a 185,000-square-metre site in Untertürkheim — today the main Mercedes-Benz plant.

Today, the spirit of the first Mercedes lives on. The honeycomb-inspired grille, first introduced in 1900, continues to symbolize innovation and heritage in modern Mercedes-Benz design. A century and a quarter later, the Mercedes 35 hp stands not only as a milestone of engineering but as a reminder of the moment the modern automobile was born — a moment that still defines the future of mobility.