February 09, 1846 – Wilhelm Maybach is born

Hailed as the “King of Constructors” in France during the 1890s for his contributions to the blossoming automotive industry, Wilhelm Maybach was a German inventor, engineer and entrepreneur. Born on this day in 1846, by the end of the 19th century he would partner with Gottlieb Daimler to build their first car in 1889 and further develop engines for land and sea, and eventually air. Their motors were fitted to the first motorcycle and the first motorboat and in 1902 were used in production of Mercedes automobiles. After a falling out with DMG in 1907 Wilhelm would found Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH. The company produced engines for Zeppelins and following the Versailles Treaty in 1919 the company began producing large luxury vehicles under the name Maybach. Following Maybach’s death in 1929 the company continued to high end automobiles until joining the German war effort in 1940 to build tank engines. Following WWII the company resumed luxury vehicle production and was acquired by Daimler-Benz in the 1960s.  Wilhelm MaybachMaybach Zeppelin DS 8, 1938-39, exhibited in the Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen, Seestraße 22, Friedrichshafen, Germany.