Wilhelm Maybach
| Wilhelm Maybach | |
|---|---|
Wilhelm Maybach in 1900
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| Born |
9 February 1846 Heilbronn, Württemberg |
| Died | 29 December 1929 (aged 83) Stuttgart, Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | Engineer and industrialist |
| Known for | Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH |
Wilhelm Maybach (German pronunciation: [ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈmaɪbax]; 9 February 1846 – 29 December 1929) was an early German engine designer and industrialist. During the 1890s he was hailed in France, then the world centre for car production, as the "King of constructors".
From the late 19th century Wilhelm Maybach, together with Gottlieb Daimler, developed light, high-speed internal combustion engines suitable for land, water, and air use. These were fitted to the world's first motorcycle, motorboat, and after Daimler's death, to a new automobile introduced in late 1902, the Mercedes model, built to the specifications of Emil Jellinek.
Maybach rose to become technical director of the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, or DMG, (and never known by the English name of the quite separate English business, The Daimler Motor Company) but he did not get on well with its chairmen. As a result, Maybach left DMG in 1907 to found Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH together with his son Karl in 1909; they manufactured Zeppelin engines. After the signing of the Versailles Treaty in 1919 the company started producing large luxury vehicles, branded as "Maybach". The company joined the German war effort in 1940, ceasing automotive production in favour of tank engines, including those for Tiger tanks.
Revived after the war Maybach Motorenbau which remained a subsidiary of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin was making diesel engines. During the 1960s Maybach came under the control of Daimler-Benz. In 2002 the Maybach brand name was revived for a luxury make but it was not successful. On November 25, 2011, Daimler-Benz announced they would cease producing automobiles under the Maybach brand name in 2013. Daimler currently produces an ultra luxury edition of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class under the Mercedes-Maybach brand.
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