In 1900, on this day, the delivery of the first car bearing the “Mercedes” name took place, with Emil Jellinek—the wealthy Austrian car racer, auto dealer esteemed by the elite, and bon vivant—being the recipient.
Commissioned by Jellinek from the German firm Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft, the Mercedes car outperformed previous models in speed, weight, and design. Jellinek was so convinced of its racing prowess that he believed enthusiastic buyers would eagerly acquire the car 
(in fact, he bought 36 units for a total of 550,000 marks). As part of his remarkable investment, the company agreed to honor Jellinek’s 11-year-old daughter by naming the new vehicle after her: Mercedes.
Back in 1886, German engineers Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach created one of the earliest “horseless carriages”: essentially, a four-wheeled carriage equipped with an engine. By 1889, they had developed the world’s first four-wheeled automobile driven by a four-stroke engine, leading to the establishment of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft the following year.
In 1896, Emil Jellinek stumbled upon an advertisement for the D-M-G automobile in a German publication. He was a wealthy tobacco trader and banker who harbored a strong enthusiasm for fast and extravagant cars (though “fast” was a relative notion at that time).
According to legend, Jellinek made a visit to D-M-G’s Cannstatt factory, strode onto the factory floor (dressed in a pith helmet, pince-nez, mutton-chop sideburns, and a lavish moustache), and demanded the most impressive car available. However, the first D-M-G vehicle he acquired, while robust, could only reach 15 miles per hour, which was far from sufficient for Jellinek.
In 1898, he ordered an additional two cars with a requirement for them to be at least 10 miles per hour faster than the initial model. Daimler succeeded in this request, resulting in the creation of the eight-horsepower Phoenix. Impressed by these newer vehicles, Jellinek started selling them to friends: 10 in 1899, and 29 in 1900. Concurrently, he sought an even faster racing car. Jellinek returned to D-M-G with a proposal: if they would construct the premier speedster and name it Mercedes, he would purchase 36 units.
The newly designed Mercedes car brought forth innovations such as the aluminum crankcase, magnalium bearings, a pressed-steel frame, a fresh type of coil-spring clutch, and a honeycomb radiator (similar to what is used in today’s Mercedes). It was longer, wider, and lower than the Phoenix while boasting superior brakes. Additionally, a mechanic could easily transform the new Mercedes from a two-seater racing model to a four-seater family vehicle within minutes.
This new car became tremendously popular. By 1902, the company had legally secured the Mercedes brand name, and in 1903, Emil Jellinek officially altered his name to Jellinek-Mercedes.
