Gottlieb Daimler was the son of a baker, Johannes Daimler and his wife Frederika, from the town of Schorndorf. By the age of 13 (1847), he had completed six years of primary studies in Lateinschule where he had taken additional drawing lessons on Sundays and expressed an interest in engineering. The next year, he started studying as a gun-smith, building with his teacher, Riedel, a double-berrelled gun.
Gottlieb Daimler knew as much about internal combustion engines as anyone. By the time he installed one in a motor vehicle, at the age of 51, he had worked with them for over 13 years. He had obtained his experience with the Deutz engine works owned by Otto & Langen.
Deutz built big, low-speed, stationary, industrial engines to be used in place of steam. Daimler was not satisfied with these big slow engines. He pointed out the need for a light, high speed engine that could power tramcars, boats, fire engines and carriages. Otto & Langen would have nothing to do with such radicalism.
In 1882 Daimler quit and took with him his associate, Wilhelm Maybach. A year or so later Daimler produced his compact, high-speed, 700rpm, petrol engine with hot tube ignition and a surface carburettor to vaporize benzene. He first installed one, in 1885, in a wooden motor cycle, then in 1886 he fitted one into a carriage he purchased under the pretence of it being a birthday present for a friend. His neighbours were convinced he was mad! (but he did refuse to build an engine for an airship!)
Although this is no more than a mobile test-bed it was the pre-cusor of a long line of superior motor cars that we still know today, although by another name. But these engines played a greater role, being exported and licenced abroad they were the seeds from which most of the motor industry grew, especially in France where Emille Levassor built his first car around a Daimler engine.
Gotlieb Daimler's and Karl Benz' respective efforts ran parallel over 40years, but they never met, even though they lived only 70 miles apart. Daimler, unlike Benz, constantly improved his engines and vehicles, their companies merged in 1926.
1/16th scale kit.
Built by Rod.
Rod built this model around a decade ago. It was the reason for the first Benz prototype being in the same scale. Although mostly from the box the engine has been detailed with piping and wiring. Note the use of decal striping on the wheels which has made an almost impossible job so much easier.
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