Germany · First car delivered 22 December 1900 · competition breakthrough in March 1901 · type production 1900–1902

Mercedes 35 hp

Low, long and purpose-built, the 35 hp helped the motorcar stop looking like a horseless carriage.

Motoring pioneers

Exterior · Photo shows Museum display explicitly identified by the photographer as a 1901 Mercedes 35 hp. exact-model-lead
Mercedes_35_PS_1901.jpg · Arnaud 25 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Auction-based estimated value

Research pending

A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.

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A place in vehicle history

More than a set of wheels.

Emil Jellinek asked Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft for a safer, faster car and ordered a large batch while Wilhelm Maybach and Josef Brauner developed the new machine. The first example reached Jellinek in Nice in December 1900, and Mercedes cars dominated the important Nice Week contests in March 1901. Its long wheelbase, low-mounted engine and integrated honeycomb radiator created a recognisably modern automobile shape. This profile treats the 1901 racing/touring form, while noting that the archive dates the underlying type from 1900 to 1902.

Look a little closer.

The gear lever sat outside the body on the driver's right, and the rear wheels were driven by chains.

Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.

The shape followed a safety problem

Earlier Phoenix racers were tall and compact. Maybach stretched the wheelbase to 2,245 mm, mounted the engine directly in the pressed-steel frame and moved the occupants rearward. The result lowered the centre of gravity and made the driver sit within the car instead of perched on top of it.

Source: Mercedes-Benz Public Archive · 35 hp racing and touring car history ↗

A radiator changed both engineering and appearance

Maybach's honeycomb radiator offered far more cooling surface in a compact package. Integrating it at the very front gave the 35 hp a distinct nose and helped establish the radiator as a defining visual element rather than a hidden add-on.

Source: Mercedes-Benz Group · history of the Mercedes name ↗

Where these facts come from

Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed 2026-10-01.

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