From the beginnings with carriage wheels to automated trucks – Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz revolutionized the transport of goods with groundbreaking innovations.As early as 1896, both developed the first vehicles for commercial transport, laying the foundation for motorized freight transport.The vehicles impressed with their reliability, flexibility and cost-effectiveness and thus successfully prevailed against traditional means of transport such as carriages, ships and railways.In 1923, Carl Benz followed with the world’s first series-produced diesel truck, and the rest is history.To this day, Mercedes-Benz Trucks offers a diverse and wide-ranging range of commercial vehicles, from light trucks to tractors for heavy transport.
This impressive development can be seen from December 21 in the special exhibition “Legends on Wheels – Pioneering Spirit, Innovation, Tradition”. In cooperation with Mercedes-Benz Trucks Classic, an extraordinary show of 18 automotive legends from the years 1899 to 2024 will be presented until March 5, 2026. From the Daimler cardan truck from 1899 to the workhorses of the economic miracle years to modern and sustainable concepts – this story is told through 18 commercial vehicles, some of which are unique, from the years 1899 to 2024.
| The highlights of the exhibition include:
Daimler cardan truck from 1899: The oldest vehicle in the special exhibition.This exhibit will be overhauled in a glass workshop during the exhibition and should be able to leave the museum under its own power towards the end of the show. The legendary Unimogs: Universal all-rounders that are valued worldwide in agriculture and forestry, in municipal services, in emergency services and in disaster control.Among them is the Unimog “Hound” from the blockbuster “Transformers: The Last Knight”.
Mercedes-Benz 1831 LS: A powerful representative of the 90s that embodies the versatility and strength of the Mercedes-Benz Trucks brand. Mercedes-Benz Future Truck from 2014: Study of an automated truck and at the same time pioneering technology for today’s developments. |
Mercedes-Benz LP 333 “Millipede“: A masterpiece of technology from the 1960s with its innovative double front wheel steering.
In the lovingly reconstructed garden house of Gottlieb Daimler from Bad Cannstatt there is a Daimler motor truck with a 4 hp two-cylinder petrol engine and cardan shaft. It was delivered to the Stuttgart waterworks in 1899, which returned it to the manufacturer 24 years later for its collection. Hufendiek: “It will be restored here and will roll out of the hall under its own power at the end of the special exhibition – which would actually make it the oldest drivable truck in the world!” The Lo 2000 D, built in 1935, also signals an important milestone: “It helped diesel to make its breakthrough, as more diesels were built than petrol engines for the first time,” explains Hufendiek.
Over the course of the special exhibition, individual exhibits will be exchanged, the museum promises – “it’s worth coming back!” https://www.technik-museum.de/de/trucks hfs/tms/et
