The Mercedes-Benz SL class of sports roadsters from the 1960s were known for their supremely elegant styling. Also referred to as W113 within the company, they were manufactured from 1963 to 1971. The “pagoda roof” 230SL of 1963 offered good performance and exceptional handling, together...
A new breed of sedan, these cars were aimed at hard-driving businessmen. The cars were well able to sustain foot-to-the-floor overtaking and relaxed high-speed cruising—in contrast to earlier counterparts that would shake themselves to pieces or overheat their engines. Much of the know-how behind these...
Once hostilities were over, factory owners flush with money from war contracts hurried to fill their factories’ capacities with car manufacturing again. However, shortages of raw materials—especially steel—meant that many stayed initially with old-fashioned construction techniques like wood body frames, aluminum body panels, and fabric-covered...
The history of Mercedes is also the history of the car itself. The companies founded by the two German pioneers of the internal combustion engine and the automobile-Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz-came together to form a marque that now makes some of the world's most...
The 19th century saw tremendous advances in engineering, as mechanization transformed production in factories. Inventors turned their attention to replacing the horse with something that could go faster and farther. Steam, electricity, and gas were all tried, and in this early period it was hard...
Open-top cars were a hit with pleasure-seeking motorists in the 1960s, and there was a wide range to choose from. Even drivers with limited budgets were well catered for, with cheeky beach cars like the Mini Moke, and pint-sized roadsters, such as the Austin-Healey Sprite...
In 1922 motorcycle enthusiasts, William Lyons and William Walmsley, went into partnership to build sidecars. Five years later, Lyons designed a stylish body for the Austin Seven, and just one year on from then his firm moved to Coventry; from these humble origins the Jaguar...
Porsche is a name ingrained in sports car enthusiasts. Yet its founder, Ferdinand Porsche, was so much more than the creator of one of the world’s most recognizable marques. A man of inventiveness and rare skill, he designed the Volkswagen Beetle, pioneered hybrid vehicles, and...
The two founding fathers of the motor car industry came together when Daimler and Benz merged in 1926—the two companies’ founders had effectively invented the automobile. In addition to being a luxury marque, Mercedes-Benz, the company formed by the merger, has since laid a trail...