Mercedes-Benz Anniversary Year Highlights 140 Years of Innovation

Mercedes-Benz Classic outlines key automotive anniversaries for 2026, marking milestones from the 1886 patent to major models, transport history and brand evolution.

For Mercedes-Benz Classic, 2026 will be a year marked by an exceptional concentration of historical milestones, bringing together key moments from the brand’s past and the wider evolution of the automobile itself.

The story begins in 1886, when Carl Benz filed the patent for his three-wheeled vehicle powered by a gasoline engine. This document is widely regarded as the birth certificate of the automobile. At almost the same time, Gottlieb Daimler laid the foundations for the four-wheeled motor car, setting parallel paths that would soon converge.

By 1896, motorised mobility had moved beyond private experimentation. Daimler presented the world’s first motorised truck, while Benz & Cie. delivered a vehicle with a dedicated cargo compartment, effectively creating the first delivery van. These developments marked the beginning of commercial transport as an independent segment.

A decisive turning point followed in 1926, when Benz & Cie. and Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft merged. The formation of what would become Mercedes-Benz united two pioneering engineering traditions under a single brand, shaping the company’s identity for the century to come.

The anniversary year also highlights landmark vehicles and technical achievements. Introduced in 1976, the W123 model series became synonymous with durability and reliability, reinforcing the foundations of what later evolved into the E-Class. At the same time, the safety concepts developed by engineer Béla Barényi established principles that continue to define passive vehicle safety across the industry.

Motorsport and experimental engineering form another essential chapter. Record-setting prototypes, successes in Group C racing and the uninterrupted role of Mercedes-Benz as the official Formula 1 Safety Car since the mid-1990s underline the close link between competition, innovation and production vehicles.

The narrative comes full circle with the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, opened in 2006. Over two decades, it has evolved into a central reference point for documenting and presenting the brand’s complete history, from the earliest patents to contemporary technological concepts.

Taken together, the anniversaries of 2026 form more than a collection of dates. They outline a continuous story of how the automobile developed from an engineering breakthrough into a global technological and cultural phenomenon.