Maybach - history of brand

A short biography of Karl Maybach: Engineering in his blood

1879
Karl Wilhelm Maybach is born on 6 July in Cologne-Deutz.

1896
Work placement at Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft.

1897
Trains as a machine builder at the engineering works in Esslingen.

1900
Moves to the engineering department of the Royal School of Construction in Stuttgart.

1901
Maybach passes his diploma as a machine technician with an overall mark of "good". Starts work as a designer at Ludwig Loewe & Co in Berlin, an industrial group involved in engineering work, and arms and munitions production.

1902
Studies at university in Lausanne and Oxford.

1903
Returns to Stuttgart and begins work as a designer and testing engineer at Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG).

1906
Karl Maybach develops his first six-cylinder engine for a motor car at the Societe d’Atelier de Construction in Paris. He follows this up by developing airplane and road vehicle engines.

1909
"Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH" is founded in Bissingen/Enz (Wurttemberg) by Karl's father Wilhelm Maybach and Graf Ferdinand von Zeppelin. Karl Maybach is appointed technical director and begins work on the construction of airship engines.

1918
The end of the First World War prompts a period of transition at Maybach-Motorenbau, as Germany is not permitted to build engines for airplanes or airships. As a result, Maybach starts work on car engines and also conducts some early research into aerodynamics, among other things.

1919
The first Maybach W 1 test car is completed.

1921
Maybach presents his first motor vehicle, the W 3, at the Berlin Motor Show.

1924
The technical university in Stuttgart awards Karl Maybach the title of honorary doctor.

1930
Maybach presents the "Zeppelin" with twelve-cylinder engine, the largest German luxury limousine.

1932
The "Flying Hamburger" high-speed railcar, driving from Hamburg to Berlin, reaches 160 km/h powered by two Maybach twelve-cylinder engines.

1938
During the Second World War, Maybach's company has to produce engines for tanks and assault boats.

1941
Production of Maybach cars comes to an end.

1945
The Friedrichshafen plant is rebuilt, initially as a repair workshop for cars. As there is little demand for large cars in the immediate post-war period, Maybach focuses instead on the construction of diesel engines for locomotives and ships.

1952
Karl Maybach retires from work at the company.

1959
Maybach is made an honorary professor at the technical university in Stuttgart.

1960
Karl Maybach dies on 6 February in Friedrichshafen.

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