Wilhelm Maybach, born in Heilbronn in 1846, and Gottlieb Daimler laid the cornerstone for the most tradition-bound company in the history of the automobile.
A trained engineer, he developed the first high-speed combustion engine on the basis of a four-stroke petrol engine. His inventions include the carburettor, honeycomb radiator and gear-only transmission. He designed the first four-wheeled engine-driven vehicle and the very first Mercedes car - the predecessor of all modern-day automobiles.
After World War I Wilhelm Maybach was hailed as the “King of Engineers”.