Wilhelm Maybach (German: [ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈmaɪbax]; 9 February 1846 – 29 December 1929) was a German engineer and business leader who designed engines and created machines. In the 1890s, he was called the "King of Designers" in France, which was the leading country for car production at that time.

From the late 1800s, Wilhelm Maybach worked with Gottlieb Daimler to create lightweight, high-speed engines that could be used on land, water, and in the air. These engines were used in the world’s first motorcycle, motorboat, and later, a new car called the Mercedes model, which was built based on the ideas of Emil Jellinek.

Maybach became the technical director of the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG) but had disagreements with its leaders. Because of this, he left DMG in 1907 and started a new company, Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH, with his son Karl in 1909. Their company made engines for Zeppelin airships. After the Versailles Treaty was signed in 1919, the company began making large luxury cars under the name "Maybach." He died in 1929 and was replaced by his son, Karl Maybach. From about 1936, Maybach-Motorenbau designed and built nearly all the engines used in German tanks and vehicles during World War II, including those for the Panther, Tiger I, and Tiger II tanks.

After the war, Maybach Motorenbau continued to be part of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin and made diesel engines. In the 1960s, the company was controlled by Daimler-Benz and was renamed MTU Friedrichshafen.

In 2002, the Maybach brand was brought back to make luxury cars, but it was not successful. On 25 November 2011, Daimler-Benz announced it would stop making cars under the Maybach name in 2013. In 2014, Daimler began producing a special, ultra-luxury version of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class under the new Mercedes-Maybach brand.

Early life and career beginnings (1846 to 1869)

Wilhelm Maybach was born on February 9, 1846, in Heilbronn, Kingdom of Württemberg. He was the son of a carpenter named Johann and his wife, Luise. He had four brothers. When he was eight years old, his family moved from Löwenstein, near Heilbronn, to Stuttgart. His mother passed away in 1854, and his father died in 1856.

After his relatives placed an advertisement in the Stuttgarter Anzeiger newspaper, a charity in Reutlingen accepted Maybach as a student. The founder and director of the charity, Gustav Werner, noticed Maybach’s interest in technical subjects and supported his education by sending him to the school’s engineering workshop. At age 15 (in 1861), Maybach began a career in industrial design and took additional classes in physics and mathematics at Reutlingen’s public high school.

By the time he was 19 years old, Maybach had become a trained designer working on stationary engines. His workshop manager, Gottlieb Daimler, who was 29 at the time, recognized Maybach’s skills and hired him as his main assistant. Maybach held this position until Daimler’s death in 1900.

Daimler and Otto's four-stroke engine (1869 to 1880)

In 1869, Maybach joined Daimler at Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft Karlsruhe AG in Karlsruhe, a company that made large locomotives. Daimler was part of the company's leadership group, and they worked late into the night to design new engines, pumps, lumber machines, and metalworking tools.

In 1872, Daimler moved to Deutz-AG-Gasmotorenfabrik in Cologne, which was the world's largest maker of stationary gas engines. Nicolaus Otto, a co-owner of the company, worked with Daimler to develop engines. Maybach became the Chief Designer at the company.

In 1876, Nicolaus Otto received a patent for the Otto cycle engine. This engine used a four-step process: intake, compression, power, and exhaust. One of Otto's patents for this engine was later disputed and canceled, which allowed Daimler and Maybach to create their own high-speed engine.

Also in 1876, Maybach was sent to display Deutz's engines at the Philadelphia World's Fair in the United States. After returning to Cologne in 1877, he focused on improving the four-stroke engine design to prepare it for its upcoming release.

In 1878, Maybach married Bertha Wilhelmine Habermaas, who was friends with Daimler's wife, Emma Kunz. Bertha's family owned land and managed the post office in Maulbronn. On July 6, 1879, their first child, Karl Maybach, was born.

In 1880, Daimler and Otto had serious disagreements, which led Daimler to leave Deutz-AG. Daimler received 112,000 goldmarks in company shares as payment for patents he and Maybach had granted. Soon after, Maybach also left and followed Daimler to start a new company in Cannstatt.

Daimler Motors: fast and small engines (1882)

In 1882, Maybach moved to Taubenheimstrasse in Cannstatt, Stuttgart. Daimler had bought a house there using 75,000 goldmarks from his Deutz payment. They added a brick part to a summer house with glass windows in the garden, which became their workshop.

Their work worried nearby neighbors, who thought they might be making fake money. Police searched the house while they were away, using a key from the gardener. They found only engines inside.

The Daimler engine

In late 1883, Daimler and Maybach created a patent for their first engine that used Ligroin. This patent was officially recorded on December 16, 1883. The engine worked well at 750 revolutions per minute (later reaching up to 900). In 1884, Daimler had three of these engines built. Maybach convinced him to install one in a vehicle, which became known as the Reitwagen.

In 1884, Maybach's second son, Adolf, was born.

The "Grandfather Clock engine" (1885)

By the end of 1885, Maybach and Daimler created the first engine of its kind, which is considered an early version of all modern petrol engines. It had the following features:

• one vertical cylinder
• air cooling
• a large cast-iron flywheel
• a new hot tube ignition system (Patent 28022)
• an exhaust valve controlled by a camshaft, which allowed the engine to run at high speeds
• a speed of 600 revolutions per minute (rpm), which was much faster than most engines at the time, which could only reach about 120 to 180 rpm.

In 1885, they invented the first float-fed carburetor, which mixed evaporated gasoline with air to make it work well as fuel. This was used that year on a larger but still compact version of the engine, which now had a vertical cylinder and included:

• 1 horsepower at 600 rpm
• 100 cc engine displacement
• a non-cooled, insulated cylinder with unregulated hot-tube ignition (patent DRP-28-022)

Daimler named it the Standuhr, which means "grandfather clock" in German, because it looked like a pendulum clock.

In November 1885, Daimler placed a smaller version of the engine on a wooden bicycle, creating the first motorcycle (pat

First Daimler-Maybach automobile built (1889)

Sales rose, mainly because of the Neckar motorboat. In June 1887, Daimler purchased land in the Seelberg Hills of Cannstatt. The workshop was located on Ludwig Route 67, away from the town center, because the mayor of Cannstatt did not want it in the city. It measured 2,903 square meters and cost 30,200 goldmarks. At first, 23 people worked there. Daimler handled business matters, while Maybach led the design department.

In 1889, they built their first automobile, which was created from the beginning, not based on a stagecoach. Both inventors officially introduced it in Paris in October 1889.

Daimler’s engine licenses were used worldwide, starting the modern car industry in:
• France, 1890, Panhard & Levassor and Peugeot
• United Kingdom, 1896, The Daimler Motor Company of Coventry
• United States of America, 1891, Steinway
• Austro-Daimler in Austria, starting in 1899

Daimler's "pact with the devil", DMG, and the Phoenix engine (1890 to 1900)

Resources were not enough to keep the business running, as neither the sale of engines nor the money earned from patents worldwide provided sufficient funds. Fresh money was added by bringing in financiers Max von Duttenhofer and William Lorenz, who were former makers of weapons and connected to Kilian von Steiner, the owner of a German investment bank. The company became publicly owned.

In 1890, Daimler and Maybach founded the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, or DMG, which focused on building small, high-speed internal combustion engines for land, water, or air travel. Maybach served as Chief Designer. After long discussions about which fuel was best for Otto's four-stroke engine, which had typically used methane gas, they chose petroleum, which was previously used mainly as a cleaner and sold in pharmacies.

The company was re-established on 28 November 1890. Some German historians later called this event a "pact with the devil," as the next decade was difficult for Daimler and Maybach. DMG expanded, selling engines from Moscow to New York, and added more capacity to produce stationary engines. However, many still believed automobile production would not be profitable. New leaders planned to merge DMG with Deutz-AG, despite Daimler's disagreement with Nicolaus Otto.

Gottlieb Daimler and Chief Engineer Maybach favored producing automobiles and opposed Duttenhofer and Lorenz. Maybach was removed from the Board of Management and left the company on 11 February 1891. He continued his design work at home, supported by Daimler. In late 1892, he opened a workshop in the ballroom of the former Hermann Hotel and Winter Garden, where he employed 17 workers, five of whom were paid by Daimler.

In 1894, Maybach designed his third engine model with Daimler and his son Paul. Used in the Phoenix, this engine gained worldwide attention and introduced the first four-cylinder engine in automobiles. It included:
– a single block casting of cylinders arranged vertically and parallel to each other
– camshaft-controlled exhaust valves
– a spray-nozzle carburetor (patented by Maybach in 1893)
– improved belt drive

Maybach's inventions are considered among the best motors of the late 19th century. His designs became essential for all automakers worldwide. He was recognized as a key figure in France's early automobile industry and called the "King of Designers."

Daimler was removed from his role as Technical Director at DMG and resigned in 1893, which hurt DMG's reputation. However, in 1894, a British industrialist named Frederick Simms bought the rights to the Phoenix engine for 350,000 marks, improving the company's finances. Simms also required Daimler to be rehired. In 1895, DMG produced its 1,000th engine, and Maybach returned as Chief Engineer, receiving 30,000 goldmarks in shares through his original contract with Gottlieb Daimler.

Maybach patented additional automobile inventions, including:
– a cooling system with a tubular radiator and fan
– a honeycomb radiator

Around this time, Maybach faced two challenges. His teenage son, Adolf, experienced a mental health crisis and spent the rest of his life in mental institutions. In 1940, Adolf was murdered by the Nazis as part of the Euthanasia Program. In 1900, Gottlieb Daimler died from heart disease.

Daimler-Mercedes engine of 1900

Between April and October 1900, Maybach created a new type of car inspired by racing. It was called the Mercedes 35 hp when it was released in 1902. The car had these features:

• a long wheelbase
• a wide track
• a low height
• a very powerful 35 hp engine that allowed it to reach speeds of 75 km/h (47 mph).

Emil Jellinek, an Austrian dealer and racing driver who lived on the French Riviera and admired Maybach’s work, offered to buy 36 cars for 550,000 goldmarks if Maybach could design a race car that met his specifications.

The prototype was completed in December 1900. In 1901, the car achieved many race wins. Its engine was named Daimler-Mercedes, which means "mercy" in Spanish, after Mercedes Jellinek, Emil’s 10-year-old daughter. European high society purchased the car in large numbers, proving its popularity and convincing company leaders that automobiles had a future. Production increased rapidly, and DMG grew in size and employees. In June 1902, DMG officially registered the Mercedes trademark.

In 1902, a fire destroyed DMG’s Cannstatt facilities, and the company moved to Stuttgart-Untertürkheim. Maybach continued his work, developing:

• a 6-cylinder/70 hp engine (1903–04)
• a pioneering aircraft engine: a high-speed racing engine with 120 hp, overhead inlet and exhaust valves, and double ignition (1906).

DMG later demoted Maybach to an "Inventor's Office," leading him to leave the company in 1907. Paul Daimler replaced him. In the same year, the German Engineers Association (VDI) honored Wilhelm Maybach as an honorary member.

Zeppelin engines (1908)

In 1900, Wilhelm Maybach met Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who wanted to improve the engines of the Zeppelin LZ1 airship. Maybach built engines for Zeppelin based on sketches of a 150 hp unit drawn by his son, Karl, while Karl worked at DMG.

In 1908, Count Zeppelin tried to sell his airships LZ3 and LZ4 to the government. On August 5, LZ4 crashed into a row of trees during an emergency landing after its engines failed. Despite this accident, people donated 6.25 million goldmarks to support the airship project. Count Zeppelin then created the company Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH, which built Zeppelin airships.

Maybach could not join the new company immediately because he was still dealing with legal issues with DMG. Karl took his place temporarily. On March 23, 1909, a deal was signed to create an engine division for Luftschiffbau Zeppelin in Bissingen/Enz, Württemberg. Wilhelm Maybach became a Technical Assistant, and Karl became Technical Manager. Their first engine designs reached speeds of 72 km/h (45 mph).

Wilhelm Maybach moved his company to Friedrichshafen and renamed it Luftfahrzeug-Motoren-GmbH. Karl and Wilhelm each owned 20% of the company, with Karl set to inherit Wilhelm’s share. They continued supplying engines to Zeppelin but also worked on engines for other airships. In 1912, the company changed its name to Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH (Maybach Engine Construction Company). In 1916, they developed a 160 hp aircraft engine that sold 2,000 units before World War I ended. That same year, Wilhelm Maybach received an Honorary Doctorate from the Technical University of Stuttgart.

Maybach automobiles (1922–1945)

After World War I, the Versailles Treaty of 1919 stopped Germany from making airships. Because of this, Maybach began creating high-speed diesel engines for use in naval and railroad vehicles, and petrol engines for automobiles, but not full cars.

Many small car companies in Germany made their own engines to save money. Only the Dutch company Spyker wanted to use Maybach engines. Wilhelm Maybach refused the offer because he did not agree with the terms. Instead, he decided to build complete cars. The factory started making Maybach limousines in 1921.

The first model, the Maybach W3, was displayed at the 1921 Automobile Exposition in Berlin. It had:
• A 6-cylinder engine
• Brakes on all four wheels
• A new type of transmission system
• A top speed of 105 km/h (65 mph)

It was produced until 1928, with 300 units sold, mostly with sedan bodies. The two-seat sport version was not as popular. The Maybach W5 came next, with a top speed of 135 km/h (84 mph). A total of 250 units were sold in 1927 and 1929.

Then, Maybach made the V12 car:
• The first 12-cylinder car made in Germany
• A lightweight aluminum engine based on his airship work
• Light alloy pistons
• A 7-liter engine size
• Strong power and high torque – 150 hp (110 kW) at 2,800 rpm

Only a few dozen were sold because of Germany’s economic problems after the war. In 1930, the DS7-Zeppelin, its successor, also had a 12-cylinder engine with a 7-liter capacity.

In August 1929, the Zeppelin LZ-127 used five Maybach-V12 petrol engines, each with 550 hp (410 kW).

Neither Wilhelm nor Karl owned a Maybach car. Wilhelm never owned a car. “He helped create the basics of modern car making, but rarely used a car for himself. He walked or took the tram. Even though he could afford one, he did not own a car.”

Wilhelm Maybach died at the age of 83 in Stuttgart on December 29, 1929.

Maybach Motorenbau GmbH

His business, Maybach Motorenbau GmbH, continued in Friedrichshafen under his son, Karl Maybach. Starting around 1935, Maybach designed and built nearly all the engines for tanks and half-tracks used by the German military during World War II. After 1945, the company produced a wide variety of diesel engines. In the early 1960s, Maybach started building large Daimler-Benz engines in Friedrichshafen under a license agreement and worked closely with Daimler-Benz.

During the mid-1960s, Maybach Motorenbau GmbH changed its name to Maybach Mercedes-Benz Motorenbau GmbH and was 83 percent owned by Daimler-Benz.

In 1998, Mercedes-Benz announced a temporary revival of the Maybach brand for cars. Daimler AG now produces a very luxurious version of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class under the Mercedes-Maybach brand.

Legacy

• Wilhelm Maybach was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1996.
• Three technical schools in Germany are named after Wilhelm Maybach: Stuttgart, Heilbronn, and Berlin-Spandau.
• In 2002, Daimler AG began producing models under the Maybach name.
• In 2005, Ulrich Schmid-Maybach founded the Wilhelm and Karl Maybach Foundation to honor his grandfather Karl and great-grandfather Wilhelm.