Mercedes-Benz has just announced that the public can now access their historical archives by simply going online. The new portal is available here (https://mercedes-benz-publicarchive.com) and contains documents, pictures, information and much more from the motor giants.
Patent certificate, DRP 37435 from 1886
According to Mercedes-Benz the history on offer dates back to “the invention of the automobile by Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler in 1886.” Michael Bock, Head of Mercedes-Benz Classic and Customer Centre, said, "with Public M@RS (Multimedia Archive and Research System), therefore, we are providing information from our unique brand, company and technology history in the form of an extensive database."
At the moment the materials on the site relate mainly to their history with the passenger car. It is their intention to make information on other products available at a later stage.
The Wankel or rotary-piston engine was tested in the Mercedes-Benz C 111-I (1969, shown in the photo)
Of the move Daimler AG said in a Press release today, “A future always needs a past, and innovation is built on tradition”. The release continues by saying; “With Public M@RS, the archives and collection of Mercedes-Benz Classic present the foundations of the brand to anyone around the world who is interested. The relevance of the company's history for current developments as well as for the future is made apparent on the website by two other areas that are contained from the outset: the anniversary data from 2015 as well as the illustrated chronicle of the company document the continuous will to innovate that has existed for almost 130 years of automotive history."
Mercedes-Benz victory poster for the 1995 Mille Miglia by Anton Stankowski
According to Mercedes-Benz their classic archive is one of the most comprehensive in Europe. The history officially begins with order No.1145 of the then Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft from 1936, in this document an engineer called Max Rauck is instructed to "collect and examine our historical literature and photographic material for the purpose of establishing and managing an historical archive".
