Maybach - history of brand
Construction of diesel engines
When, in 1919, the Treaty of Versailles prohibited German companies
from producing aircraft equipment of any type, including engines therefore,
Maybach-Motorenbau had to completely rethink its production literally
overnight.
The development of a high-speed 150-bhp diesel engine and matching
gearbox for use in a railcar was started. At the Seddin railway exhibition
near Berlin in 1924, Maybach-Motorenbau, together with Eisenbahn-Verkehrsmittel-Aktiengesellschaft
(E.V.A.) of Wismar, were able to unveil a diesel railcar which was subsequently
bought by the German Imperial Railway which then proceeded to order
15 more. Maybach continued to develop its diesel engines and in so doing
created the basis on which, in the thirties, the German Imperial Railway
was able to build a railway network linking Berlin with the major cities
of Germany that was the envy of the world. In 1933, the "Fliegender
Hamburger" created quite a stir when it reached a speed of 160
km/h on the Berlin-Hamburg line. In 1934, Maybach brought out the world's
first turbocharged high-performance diesel engine, the GO 6, which produced
650 bhp.
After the Second World War, Maybach developed the MD Series diesel
engines which are still built today by MTU Friedrichshafen as the Series
538 (i. e. 5.38 liters per cylinder). Design features such as six valves
per cylinder, overhead camshafts, disc-webbed crankshaft running on
roller bearings, composite pressure-oil-cooled pistons and a modular-design
welded steel crankcase all contributed to producing an engine with such
power density that, although originally designed for railway use, it
ultimately became unequaled as a power unit for high-speed naval and
police craft.
In 1960, Daimler-Benz acquired a majority shareholding in the Friedrichshafen
engine manufacturer. Six years later, Maybach-Motorenbau was merged
with the heavy-duty engine arm of Daimler-Benz to form a new company,
Maybach Mercedes-Benz Motorenbau GmbH. Finally, in 1969, a completely
new name adorned the factory gates in Friedrichshafen: Motoren- und
Turbinen-Union Friedrichshafen GmbH, or MTU for short. This was the
result of an agreement between Daimler-Benz and MAN to merge their respective
jet-engine operations into MTU München, and the high-speed
diesel engines into the Friedrichshafen plant. Since that time, MTU
Friedrichshafen has developed into a world leader in the production
of high-quality drive systems for off-road and railway vehicles and
propulsion systems for vessels, as well as electricity generation systems
driven by diesel engines, gas turbines or using the new fuel cell and
electrolysis technology. Around three quarters of the products now supplied
are for export orders.
© MTU-Friedrichshafen
