Several men were present at the birth of the BMW brand. The first of them were:

1. Gustav Otto, a son of the inventor of the gasoline engine (Otto’s motor), who set up Otto’s aviation plant in 1911.
2. Karl Rapp, owner of a plant which produced aviation engines for the Austro-Hungarian army.
3. Franz Josef Popp, an engine procurement officer for the army and later partner of Karl Rapp. He was born in Vienna and from his fifteenth year lived in Brno, where he studied and graduated university as a technical engineer.

In 1916, these three gentlemen merged Rapp’s and Otto’s plants to form the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, changing the name in 1917 to the Bayerische Motorwerke – BMW. BMW engines represented cutting edge aviation technology for their time. The BMW III engine was flown by the aviation legend of the time, the “Red Baron” Manfred von Richthofen, who had one in his fabled red triplane with black symbols. Planes using BMW engines broke many world records.

The factory produced stable motors to drive machines and subsequently these were used for the company’s first motorcycle, whose trade name was “Helios”.

The first serially produced motorcycle was the BMW R 32 in 1923. It featured a revolutionary construction using a flat two-cylinder engine with the clutch and gearbox in one unit and the driveshaft going to the rear wheel. This “Bavarian conception” is still used in BMW motorcycles today. BMW motorcycles won the six-day race in 1926 and the Tourist Trophy of the Isle of Mann in 1939. Before the war, BMW motorcycles held 206 speed and world records. Popp was an important economist who purchased the DIXI car factory in Eisenach for BMW in 1926 and later the Brandenburg engine factory in Berlin, where the first aviation jet engine in the world was produced in 1939. The DIXI car factory was owned by Jakob Shapiro, a Russian Jewish exile and a stockbroker, who, at the peak of his prosperity, owned most of the automobile industry stock in Germany. Nonetheless, after a series of bankruptcies, he emigrated from Germany to France. The very beginnings of the automobile factory’s existence were marked by the global crisis. Popp offered to let Henry Ford purchase the car factory from him, but Ford refused and bought space in Cologne. If it wasn’t for Ford’s refusal, the world would not have come to know BMW cars.

The simple cars of the DIXI Mark, after the DIXI company was bought, were sold under the name BMW DIXI. These were the first and smallest BMW cars ever made. They were based on a licence purchased from the small popular car producer Austin, the Model Seven. This variety had been produced and sold in England since 1923. Later, licences were sold to Germany (DIXI – BMW) and France (Rosengart). The car was also produced in Japan by Datsun but it was produced there without the licence.

Some years later, the company made use of its own tube chassis construction, mostly two-litre, six-cylinder engine, with a separate front axle with flat transverse spring, two hydraulic shock absorbers and a rack-and-pinion steering system. Besides well designed cars with an enclosed cabin and convertibles, the brand was renowned for its 315/1, 319/1, 327, 327/8 and 328 sports cars. The 327 model is one of the most elegant post-war car bodies. The 328 model was a popular sports car for many years and could be seen also in this country in the 50s at the Ecce Homo Race in Šternberk (the racer Sojka). The company still prospers and has a production programme which turns out automobiles and motorcycles of an exceptionally individual character.

Some successors of the BMW brand:

The BMW R2 Motorcycle, produced between 1931 and 1936. This is a motorbike with a single-cylinder four-cycle engine of 200 cubic cm capacity and a three-speed gear box. It weighs 110 kg and can achieve a speed of 95 km/h. It is the smallest BMW motorcycle. Although it only has 8 HP, in 1936 it held a world speed record with an attained speed of 246 km/h.

The BMW R 12 Motorcycle was produced between 1935 and 1942 and only 25,000 motorbikes were produced. In 1935, it cost 1,650 Reichsmarks. It has a two-cylinder flat engine with 750 cubic cm capacity 18 horsepower and a four-speed gear box. The rear wheel drive is secured by a shaft. The front wheel is spring-loaded, while the rear is not. The frame is made of moulded profiles. The speed indicator is indirectly lit by the headlight. It weighs 185 kg and can attain a speed of 110 km/h. It was produced in a military version with a sidecar.

The BMW R 66 Motorcycle. A two-cylinder four-cycle flat engine of 600 cubic cm capacity. Horsepower of 30, total weight 187 kg. The motorcycle could achieve a speed of 145 km/h. Due to its output, the bike was often sold with a sidecar. The frame is made of tubes with telescopic spring-loaded front and rear wheels. The motorcycle was produced between 1938 and 1941 and cost 1,695 Reichsmarks without the sidecar (a kilo of butter cost 3.20 Reich mark and 1 kg of this motorcycle cost 9 Reich mark).

BMW 3/15 PS (DIXI ) DA4 Automobile. This is a four-cylinder car manufactured from 1931 to 1932. Most often it was sold as a four-seat closed car body and four-seat open car body; rarely as a two-seat coupe. This model was called “a business coupe”. It was meant for the travelling salesman and his customer. Small space made it impossible for the business car to be misused for family purposes. The engine volume is 750 cubic cm, brakes are mechanical on all four wheels. The front and rear axles are flat spring-loaded. The car weighs 480 kg and its top speed is 75 km/h. It is a so-called people’s car with very simple construction. The commercial slogan of the time had it that “the car’s exterior is smaller than the car’s interior”. The selling price of the car was 2,500 Reichsmarks, which is just slightly more than for a two-cylinder motorcycle and three times less than the price of a six-cylinder Mercedes Stuttgart. These cars were known to have side leakage during rain, since the doors are not caulked against the car body. The sports version of this car was sold under the name BMW 3/15 PS Wartburg and won the race in its class at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1930.

BMW 335 Automobile is the biggest, most powerful and final BMW model of before the war. These cars were manufactured from 1939. Only the first units off the line before May 39 were meant for sale; from May 1939, all cars were taken by the state and used in diplomatic services and for superior dignitaries at ministries. This car was very popular with Goebels, who much enjoyed driving it on his own. The cars were equipped with an in-line six-cylinder engine with 3,500 cubic cm capacity, output of 90 HP and a maximum speed of 150 km/h. The frame is longer by 114mm than the two-litre chassis, which enabled sufficient extension of the engine space. The rear axle is rigid, spring-loaded by two sway bars running along the car’s longitudinal axis; the front axle was designed characteristically with one flat spring, swinging arms and hydraulic shocks. The car has a rack-and-pinion steering system and weighs 1,300 kg. Typical features of 335 cars are rear hitches for an ancillary boot, cross-sectionally ribbing of the car body with ornamental slats and big, fully sunken headlights. The acquisition price was 9,000 Reichsmarks (tyres were not included in the price of the car, the buyer had to get hold of them on their own because of insufficient supplies during the war). These cars were m

The Development of the “People’s Car” Volkswagen = VW.

Ferdinand Porsche (born inVratislavice near Liberec in 1875 – died in Stuttgart in 1951) was an excellent engineer who gained fame thanks to his high capacity racing cars – the eight cylinder SS and SSK cars produced for Mercedes Benz between 1923-32, a racing car for the Targa Florio race, a monoposto nicknamed “Silberpfeil” with a revolutionary construction and a mid-engine designed for the Automobile Union in 1934. He also worked on building a “people’s car”. He developed the car named “Sascha” for Austro-Daimler between 1921-22, between 1926-28, models W02 and W15 for Mercedes Benz, and in 1933, Project 32 for the NSU company. In 1934, Porsche met Hitler. They got on quite well, given that Porsche shared Hitler’s vision of a people’s car (Volkswagen – VW), something which had appeared in the writings of the Transportation Ministry and Propaganda Ministry:

The people’s car was 4 m in length and had the following specifications:

1. average petrol consumption below 8 litres per l00 km
2. steady driving speed of 100 km/h
3. an air-cooled engine so that water would not freeze in winter
4. a price of at most 1000 Reichsmarks (a BMW motorbike cost 1600 Reichsmarks)
5. room for 3 adults and one child
6. sufficient storage
7. the possibility for military utilisation

It’s likely they were friends. Rumour has it that Porsche once invited Hitler for supper, saying: “I’ve left you some sausage and beer. Does that suit you?” During a journey from the Russian front, Hitler took Porsche on board instead of one of his generals. Commenting, he said: “I have a lot of generals but only one Porsche”.

In 1934, Porsche signed a contract with the Reich Automobile Association for “motorization of the German nation on the basis of collective work with the best intentions”.

In 1936, Porsche visited the USA where he studied “mass automobile production”.

The country planned yearly production of 300,000 to 500,000 cars. In order to meet the requirements of this demanding assignment, Porsche tried two-cycle and four-cycle motors, two, three and four cylinder motors, flat engines and in-line engines. The upshot of these experiments was an ingenious motor. The VW 82 engine was an air-cooled, four-cylinder, four-cycle motor located behind the rear axle. This conception, with only minor modifications, was then used for the popular VW Beetle until 2003. In connection with this concept, the friendship between Porsche and Hans Ledwinka, the chief builder for the Tatra Kopřivnice Automobile Company, is cited. Porsche worked there too. The fact is that VW cars produced between 1934 and 1936 are similar to the prototype of the people’s car, the Tatra V 570 (the first Tatra car with the motor in back: a two-cylinder, flat air-cooled engine with a cylinder capacity of 854 cubic cm and a rack-and-pinion steering system, a very modern feature for the time), Bill by Hans Ledwinka between 1932 and 1933. This is a builder who had already been hard at work on a people’s car at Tatra since 1920.

The Škoda Mladá Boleslav Company showed prototypes of two people’s cars in 1932, the Š 932 (produced in two pieces), following the same conception – a flat, four-cylinder air-cooled motor of 1500 cubic cm capacity, located at the back, whose front section was very similar to the future VW Beetle car and Mercedes-Benz 130H.

In 1936, the Mercedes Company introduced the first cars using the VW concept (V1, V2, V3), whose shape corresponded to the draft drawn up by Porsche and Hitler, and later developed into models 130 H and 170 H.

In 1938, Hitler laid the foundation stone of the VW plant, which manufactured KdF cars. The acronym “KdF“ stands for Kraft durch Freude (power through enjoyment), which was an abbreviation for the people-oriented programme, of very broad scope and became an instrument of propoganda. It included full employment, sports activities, recreation, a car for everybody, etc. The car body was produced by the Ambi But company. Stocks of the VW company had been sold before the company was finished to those who planned to buy a car –the stocks thus served as vouchers for the car, so to speak. 300,000 of these stocks worth 990 Reichsmarks were sold, which amounts to a total value of 280 million Reichsmarks. Some interested parties were saving 5 Reichsmarks per week. In the years from 1938-1939, 210 KdF cars (VW – 60) were manufactured but these were assigned to party officials. The war meant that people’s cars were no longer a priority and the KdF VW 82 chassis was produced only for combat cars. After the war, there were many unfilled “vouchers” that were recognized by the company, which subsequently delivered the post-war Beetle to the vouchers’ owners.

The KdF 82 (Kubelwagen – nicknamed “Kaďour” in this country) is a light all-terrain vehicle with 2 rear wheel drive (2×4 drive), one of the most successful cars of the post-war era. The design of Ferdinand Porsche beat other marks (those of BMW, Mercedes, Adler and others) and was utilised for military purposes. Some of its properties surpassed its American rival, the Jeep Willis.

The chassis-less car body uses an auxiliary frame. About 51,000 automobiles that were various versions of this model were produced, and tradition has it that an average life expectancy for this car on the front was calculated at 3 days. That meant there was a necessity to produce large numbers of these vehicles. As the production speed accelerated, many features of the car were simplified – e.g., welding of mudguards for the chassis and so on.

The amphibious brother of this car was denominated KdF 166 (Schwimmwagen – known as “Vodník” in this country”). It was similar in concept to theKdF 82 but had four-wheel drive (4×4 drive), a different model of body and an ancillary folding screw propeller for riding on water. It was produced between 1942 and 1944, with a total production number somewhat under 14,300 units.

The chassis of the “Vodník” KdF 166 car (4×4 drive) was also used between 1941 and 1944 for the production of several short series of command vehicles with KdF 87 designation, a modification of the future Beetle.

Altogether about 564 military vehicles with the “Beetle” body were produced during the war, while only about 630 units of the non-military version of the Beetle were produced in the same time.

For the KdF 82 model, the army paid 2780 Reichsmarks, while the amphibian KdF 166 cost 4200 Reichsmarks.

 Foto: photography of the Museum from the plane

Address: 783 42 Slatinice 2

49º 33‘ 42‘‘ S

17º 05‘ 51‘‘ V

Map:

A ride in a vintage car is a unique experience. You will smell the scent of woods around you, sense the heat of fields laden with ripening crop and feel the wind in your hair. Enjoy the feelings of the old-movie stars or even of your great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers. You can drive past castles (Bouzov, Šternberk, Úsov) or chateaus (Tovačov, Náměšť, Čechy pod Kosířem) or have a basket party in a park.

We will lend you historical costumes.

 For those interested we can offer:

• rental of 1–4 vintage cars for weddings ceremonies (except winter period),

• vintage car rides (at fine weather only),

• rental of a vintage car for competitions in the Czech Republic as well as abroad, 

• rental of vintage cars for company promotion purposes.

Action: Veterans propagation ride

Place: Slatinice – Bouzov – Olomouc – Slatinice, Česká republika

The history of Mercedes Benz cars and the road to the first automobile

The most significant German brand and surely the most important automobile brand the world over is that of Mercedes Benz. This is primarily because the manufacturer who built the automobile is dedicated to the manufacture of quality vehicles in all categories which maintain manufacturing continuity.

The development of the internal combustion motor

Nonetheless, the first car was necessarily preceded by the development of the first internal combustion motor. This motor was jointly developed in 1876 in the form of a four-cycle compression ignition engine by German engineers Nikolaus August Otto (1832 - 1891) and E. Langer (1833 - 1895). Abroad, this engine is nowadays called the Otto motor, the same as the compression ignition (diesel) engine is called a Diesel motor after its inventor, Rudolf Diesel (1858 - 1913), who developed it in 1892.

And again it was the Daimler-Benz company which was a pioneer in implementing Diesel engines for passenger cars. The first passenger car with the Diesel engine was the Mercedes Benz 260 produced in 1936.

Karl Benz, the father of the first passenger car, lived from 1844-1929. He was born in Karlsruhe and worked as a mechanic after his studies in Mannheim. Later he became a builder. Still later, his father-in-law furnished a small workshop for him that prospered well, producing tobacco presses and telephone apparatuses. Benz participated in the propagation of steam and gas engines. After a minor explosion, the outcome of failing to heed safety measures, he renounced gas engines and set off to perfect internal combustion engines. He tried various mixtures of kerosene, distillates and town gas. Since the four-cycle engine was under patent protection, he put his energy into the development of a two-cycle engine. He established several companies and achieved production of up to 800 stable engines a month (stable engines were used to drive machines, produce electricity etc.).

Nonetheless, the idea of a self-propelled vehicle haunted him. It was during these years that the first steam automobiles began to appear in England and France. But they were too robust and their practical use was limited. His first idea, a four-wheel carriage with an internal combustion engine, didn’t work out because he lacked a reliable system for steering the two front wheels. That’s why his first car was a “three-wheeler”. For the first automobile, Benz used a small, four-cycle, water-cooled, high-revolution single-cylinder engine with a high-voltage ignition coil (Otto’s engine). Benz also worked for the OTTO company. The first trial rides took place on the factory yard in 1885 and on 29 January 1886 the vehicle was patented.

The first long-distance ride in the car –on Benz’s tricycle, that is – was undertaken by a woman. Berta Benz, his wife, went with their two sons to visit grandma in a town 100 km distant without her husband knowing about it. The journey came off without major technical problems (it was only necessary to replace the leather lining of the brake beam blocks). The problem after the journey was getting hold of the fuel – petrol. At that time it was available only in pharmacies and chemists.

What followed was the development of steering, gearboxes, wheels, engine carburettors, tyres and other automobile accessories. In many areas, there is no doubt about the primacy of Karl Benz (the carburettor float, the multi-cylinder engine and others). His assistants and disciples later went on to become pioneers and founders of German car factories themselves (Horch and later also Porsche).

In 1900, the Benz Company sold 603 cars, becoming the largest car factory in the world. During the time of crisis, the company merged with another firm (1926 – the Daimler company) and the Benz Company logo was changed to the familiar Mercedes Benz logo.

Gottlieb Daimler (1834-1900) constructed his first car the same year as Karl Benz. They didn’t know each other, nor did either of them know about the plans of the other. Together with the builder Maybach (who later manufactured luxury cars of the Maybach brand), Daimler worked in the greenhouse of his villa, which is still preserved to this day in Cannstatt Spa, a suburb of the City of Stuttgart today. They improved the petrol engine that had four cycles and one cylinder with a capacity of 176 cubic cm and an output of 0.25 HP (Otto’s engine – Daimler had previously worked for the builder Otto). Due to the look of the engine and its elongated shape it was nicknamed “a grandfather clock”. The first car with this engine was in fact a two-wheeler, that is, the first motorcycle (reitwagen = a runner’s car, a single-track vehicle with an engine). Daimler and Maybach used the internal combustion engine not only to power automobiles, but also to ships (the first motor ship with a petrol engine in the world was called the Neckar – named after the river running through Stuttgart) and airships (Zeppelin).

In 1886, Daimler already constructed a four-wheel automobile (because of its similarity to carriages, it was called a motor carriage – Motorkusche or Motorwagen). Daimler founded engine production factories in several countries for engines delivered to other car manufacturers (Peugeot). Daimler founded one company in England, where the brand still exists today and the same applies for the well-known Austro-Daimler company in Austria. In 1897, Daimler bought a large plot in Stuttgart (Unterturkheim) and built an automobile manufacturing plant there. Some of these buildings still stand today. Daimler Benz engines are still produced on the premises and in front of the factory, a fancy new museum of Mercedes-Benz cars of the Daimler-Benz Company was opened in 2006.

Jellinek from the vicinity of the town of Uherský Brod and the Mercedes name

Another important person in the history of Mercedes Benz cars was Emil Jellinek (1853-1917) who was born as a son of rabbi near the town of Uherský Brod. Jellinek later became a Consul General of Austro-Hungary in Nice, France, a car salesman and racer. He participated in races under the pseudonym “Mr Mercedes”, the name of his first-born daughter. He bought 36 cars from Daimler and had them improved by Maybach to meet his specifications. At that time, this accounted for a quarter of the total production of the Daimler factory. He sold the cars again under the brand name “Mercedes”. He had this name patented and, after significant commercial success, became general representative of the company. Since 1905, the name “Mercedes” has been used for the total production of Daimler.

The current Mercedes symbol has been used since 1926 and is composed of the name “Mercedes” (salesman Jellinek’s daughter), the name “Benz” (builder of the first car in the world) and the three-pointed star (the symbol of Daimler which means: our engines rule in the air – top point, on water and on land – two bottom points).

Mercedes Benz vehicles are traditionally ranked as prestigious, reliable vehicles, not only in the area of passenger transport. They cover the complete scope of today’s automotive production (utility vehicles, buses, special vehicles – e.g. the Popemobile, a car used by the Pope and other governmental or diplomatic vehicles). The Mercedes brand also does well in the most prestigious category of race cars –Formula 1. 

The era of “carriages” by Benz and Daimler from the turn of the 19^th century was superseded by production of strong, robust cars meant for a small group of the rich.

The 30s, the medium-class category

Mercedes-Benz 200 (8/38 PS, W02) and model Stuttgart 260, (10/50 PS, W11) 1926-1933

The Mercedes Benz car 8/38 PS with model denomination W02. It was produced from 1926 to 1933 with an engine of 2000 cubic cm capacity or with a more powerful engine with a 2600 cubic cm capacity (W11 L). More than 20,000 cars were produced, including small lorries and military vehicles. The frame was made of moulded U-profiles and both rigid axeltrees were string-loaded by longitudinal flat strings. Brakes were mechanical on all wheels. This was the first car from the medium-class category after the merger of Mercedes Benz. The price also made the car popular among the middle class, ranging from 6000 marks to 9500 marks (previous small-series cars with 4 litre and 6 litre engines cost 14 to 28 thousand Reichsmarks). But the car was still more expensive than competing brands (Opel, Adler and Ford), which, on the other hand, were not so reliable. For years, the Mercedes Benz Stuttgart 200 was the most successful model of Mercedes on a sales basis. Ferdinand Porsche also participated in the production of this car. From 1930, the car had a semi-automatic gearbox with a pre-set 4^th gear (to change gears from third to fourth, the gear was changed without the clutch being let out – the speed was pre-set – and the gear automatically changed when the driver let up on the gas pedal). The car was delivered with wheels with wooden or metal spokes. It was manufactured in all passenger car versions (convertible A, B, C, D, limousine, tourenwagen and pullmann), in a military all-terrain version and as a small utility car. The car was also popular as a taxi.

Types of car bodies:

• The Limousine has either two or four doors, a four or more seat body with solid roof. The upper part of the roof was sometimes made of artificial leather, with insulating layers that prevent overheating of the interior. All cars were also fitted with an adjustable tipping windscreen, which enables draught-free airing.
• The Pullman-limousine has an elongated four-door car body with either six or seven seats inside which included a dividing screen behind the driver.
• The Roadster is a two-seat sports car with small doors to make getting in easier; or the door is not present at all but the line of the car body is lowered at the point where one gets in. The windscreen can be tipped to the bonnet so as not to increase air resistance. It was only produced in small numbers and was often equipped with made-to-measure bodies made by renowned specialist firms (e.g. Reuter Stuttgart, Graber, Sodomka-Vysoké Mýto).
• Convertible A (on a normal or elongated undercarriage) is a two-door sports car body with a folding roof. Usually this is a luxury limited series version made in leather – small series production with many accessories, according to the customer’s wishes. The boot and roof are usually joined in one element, front fenders are aerodynamic and connected to footrests. Behind the front seats there is sometimes an emergency seat for another passenger. In some cars, this seat is accessible only when the boot is open (so-called mother-in-law seat).
• Convertible B (long version) is a two-door, four-seat car body with four side retractable windows. This is usually a luxury car for purposes of show.
• Convertible C (short version) is a short two-door, four-seat convertible with two side windows.
• Convertible D has four doors and four seats
• Convertible F has four doors and seven seats
• Tourenwagen (light carriage) is an open four-seat or four-door car body with a folding light linen roof and windows fitted in the doors.

The Mercedes Benz 170 (W15), with a six-cylinder engine, was produced from 1931 to 1935. This car was a successor in the medium-class car line, with selling prices from 4,000 to 6,000 Reichsmarks. The car was designed by engineers Hans Niebel. The frame of the chassis is of a square trapezoidal cross-section. The divided front axle is spring-loaded by two transverse flat strings with lever fluid-model dampers, the rear axle swinging with a couple of twisted strings and hydraulic dampers. The car is equipped with liquid single-circle brakes on all wheels. The handbrake is mechanical. The six-cylinder engine is 32 HP. The standard version of the car was equipped with a steering lock. This car was mostly sold as a four-door limousine and a C convertible, both very popular. The two-seat roadster and A convertible were rare and more expensive. Utility vehicles constructed on this chassis also enjoyed good sales figures.

The Mercedes Benz 200 (W21) was a direct successor of the preceding model as far as construction goes, and of the Stuttgart model in terms of engine capacity. It was produced from 1933 to 1937. It was meant for the middle class and this was reflected in the car body models available. Besides the short chassis model A and C sporty two-seat convertible and roadster, an elongated version of the chassis was also produced in which the distance between the front and rear axle was over 3 metres, enabling the construction of comfortable four-seat limousines and comfortable B convertibles. This model features more luxury elements like richer wood panelling, a wooden dashboard, a spacious boot with the option to buy special luggage made to fit the internal dimensions of the space, and other features. Two spare wheels were moved to the front fenders, which made the storage room more spacious.

The luxury of the car was highlighted by the fact that taxi and utility versions of this car were not available.

Technically speaking, the 200 model is not different from the preceding model, with the exception of a more powerful engine (40 HP). Naturally, the car body evolved, even from year to year. The 200 model was described as a loveable car at a favourable price that didn’t exceed the price of the Stuttgart. Cars with an elongated chassis were very popular. They were the first passenger cars to be equipped with a 2,600 cubic cm capacity engine in 1936. For this version, only six-seat limousines are known; these were used as taxis.

The frame elongation and the deluxe equipment of cars increased their weight so much that two-litre engines were not powerful enough now for a car with an elongated frame. Therefore the production of this car was small and amounted to a total 4,100 vehicles, making them very popular with collectors. The engine was replaced by a stronger version with a capacity of 2300 cubic cm. This more powerful car, the MB 230 - W143, was produced in a number exceeding 15,000 units. An innovative version with a backbone chassis made of oval profiles (W 153) was still manufactured long after the war.

Mercedes Benz 130 H/170H Mercedes Benz with a rear motor

The concept of the people’s car (Volkswagen) was a state contract that every car manufacturer fought to obtain. The requirements were: lenght 4m, speed 11 km/hour, an engine placed behind the rear axle, at least three seats and a price comparable to the price paid for good motorcycles (990 Reichsmarks).

The engine, located at the back (Heckmotor – henceforth labelled H by Mercedes Benz) was also promising as far as the development of a streamlined profile for the car bodies was concerned (Stromlinien Karoserie in German). This profile decreased air resistance and thus enabled higher speeds and thus perfect utilisation of the newly created motorways in Germany. In 1936, the Mercedes Company publicly presented, the first car manufacturer to do so, the first cars built to the VW specification (V1, V2, V3), represented by models 130 H and 170 H. Prototype Volkswagen (KdF) were also manufactured in Daimler-Benz production worshops.

The Mercedes Benz 130 H is one of the first serially produced cars in the world with a rear engine. It was produced between 1934 and 1936. It has a four-cylinder in-line water-cooled engine with a capacity of 1299 cubic cm and an output of 26 HP. The engine is placed behind the rear axle and the gear box in front of it. The car is equipped with fluid brakes on all wheels. It weighs 980 kg.

Mercedes Benz 290 (W18) and 320 (W142)

The Mercedes Benz 290 and 320 were successors to the Mercedes Benz 200. They were produced from 1932 to 1936 (MB2 90), and from 1937 to 1940 (MB 290). A steel frame made of closed beams with a rectangular cross-section was retained. What differed was the construction of the front axle, where the greater engine weight is compensated for by swinging arms with springs instead of a top flat spring. The major change was an increase in engine capacity to 2900/3200 and later to 3400 cm³. These were luxury cars manufactured mostly to order, with many luxury elements. With these models, there is great variability to meet the differing requirements of customers. The cars were targeted at the upper class with a price ranging from 10,000 to 15,000 Reichsmarks, almost double the price of the MB 200 cars. The standard chassis was used for the sports convertible and the coupe version, the elongated chassis for a wide range of car bodies, including the parade convertible F. The cars were spacious and comfortable. They were meant for long journeys and high speed, and required good-quality straight road sections. It was the era when the first motorways were constructed. Due to its 80 HP output, it was also used for ambulance cars and military vehicles.

The infamous Mercedes Benz 320 convertible B is probably the car in which the Reich Protector, Reinhard Heydrich, was seated during his assassination.

 The most famous era of pre-war Mercedes production is undoubtedly that of the Mercedes Benz 500 K, 540 K and 770. In terms of engine capacity, these models had the highest capacity of the pre-war models. All these models were luxury cars made to measure; some later on were even armoured cars. They were equipped with eight-cylinder engines that, using an injection pump, achieved an output of 160 and 180 HP for 500 and 540 models and 230 HP for the 770 model. Nonetheless, only big parade and armoured cars were manufactured with this overfilled engine model. 

The history of the automobile industry – the origin of Mercedes Benz

1876 – development of the internal-combustion engine - Nikolaus August Otto (1832 - 1891)

1885 – first three-wheel automobile of Karl Benz (1844-1929)

1886 – first four-wheel automobile of Gottlieb Daimler (1834-1900)

1888 – first long-distance ride in a car by Berta Benz

1897 – development of the diesel engine - Rudolf Diesel ( 1858 - 1913 ),

1905 – the name Mercedes is patented

1926 – the Daimler and Benz companies merge

symbol: Mercedes – the name of Rudolf Jellinek’s daughter

Benz – the name of the car industry founder

Three-pointed star – the symbol of Daimler – we shall master water, land and air

1936 – The first passenger car with a diesel engine - Mercedes Benz 260 D

In a renovated farm from 1850 in Slatinice, a small spa town near Olomouc, you will find relaxation, sport and entertainment as well as interesting historical information. At an area of 400 square meters you will have a chance to see a collection of vintage cars and motorcycles (Mercedes Benz, BMW, KdF) mostly from the 1930s and large amount of accompanying period artefacts.

You will be captivated by the atmosphere of the historical city of Olomouc, a car repair shop with a gasoline station from the early 1920s or a country barn with a vintage car „stored“ under a heap of straw and surrounded with various farming tools of our ancestors. In the display cases, you will find car models, historical automotive tools and samples of old automobile engineering.

You can learn interesting information about the history and development of motoring (especially of Mercedes Benz cars) by the medium of a six-hour audiovisual programme.

The items kept in the Museum are not typical museum exhibits; they constitute a living organism. The exhibited cars and motorcycles are roadworthy or being repaired to become roadworthy again. It may happen, and we apologize for this possible inconvenience, that at the time of your visit some car will be under repair, at a vintage car competition or just carrying a happy bride to the wedding ceremony.

 The pièce de résistance of the collection is Mercedes Benz 200 W 21 from the 1933-1936. This is the most self-contained collection of cars of this type all around the world, with almost complete range of various types of car body (cabriolet A, B, C, roadster, limousine).

  The most precious item in the collection is Mercedes Benz 200 cabrio B that has been owned by one family since its purchase in 1936. The car gives an interesting picture of a dramatic history of the owners’ family (World Word II, nationalization in 1948, socialistic era, restoration of capitalism in 1989, floods in 1997…).

Mercedes Benz is also represented by older exhibits of W 02 and W11 Stuttgart and luxurious cars Mercedes Benz 320 W 142.

Mercedes Benz 320 cabriolet B is identical to the car in which the acting Reichsprotector Reinhard Heydrich was assassinated on the 27^th May 1942.

The Mercedes Benz 130 H and 170 H cars are also very remarkable and special. These rear engine cars were designed by the Mercedes company to win the state contract for production of a “people’s car”.

The recent history of Daimler Benz can be admired at the elegant 190 SL from 1962.

BMW is represented by the renowned BMW R2 and R12 motorcycles. BMW motorcycles with opposed cylinders and cardan-shaft transmission drive to the rear wheel has been produced up to the present.

The exhibition also contains one of the very first and smallest cars of BMW - BMW DIXI - and so-called “Autobahn Cruiser” BMW 335, the largest and last pre-war car.

VW is represented by KdF 82 - a military car from 1940 constructed by Ferdinand Porsche, a native of Liberec. The civil version of that car - VW „Beetle“ - has become the most sold civil car worldwide.