Wilhelm Maybach
German engine designer and industrialist (1846-1929) · Germany · Scientists · Died at 83
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Something wrong?The French called him "King of Designers" in the 1890s - before most people had seen a car. With Gottlieb Daimler, he built the high-speed engines that powered the first motorcycle, the first motorboat, and the 1902 Mercedes.
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Wilhelm Maybach began designing light internal combustion engines with Gottlieb Daimler in the late 19th century, fitting them to vehicles no one had motorized before. He rose to technical director at Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft but clashed with its leadership and left in 1907. In 1909 he and his son Karl founded Maybach-Motorenbau, first building engines for Zeppelins, then pivoting to luxury cars after Versailles in 1919. Maybach died in 1929; Karl took over and by 1936 the firm was designing engines for German tanks - Panthers, Tigers, the heavy armor of World War 2. The company survived as a diesel-engine maker under Daimler-Benz, later MTU. The Maybach name returned as a standalone luxury brand in 2002, failed by 2013, and now lives on as an ultra-luxury Mercedes trim.
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