The roots of the brand trace back to the 1901 Mercedes manufactured by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and the 1886 Benz-Patent-Motorwagen by Carl Benz – widely recognized as the first automobile powered by an internal combustion engine. Which was built using the dowry of his wife, the former Bertha Ringer. Then later that same year, 1886, there was Gottlieb Daimler and its engineer Wilhelm Maybach’s conversion of a stagecoach, with the addition of a petrol engine.

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The Mercedes automobile was first marketed in 1901 by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft.

Emil Jellineck-Mercedes, an Austrian automobile entrepreneur who worked with DMG, registered the trademark in 1902, naming the 1901 Mercedes 35 hp after his daughter Mercedes Jellinek.

Jellinek was a businessman and marketing strategist who promoted ‘horseless’ Daimler automobiles among the highest circles of society. His customers included the Rothschild family and other wealthy clients. As early as 1901, he was selling Mercedes cars in the United States of America, including to billionaires Rockefeller, Astor, Morgan and Taylor.

At an 1899 motoring race he appeared in in Nice in southern France, Jellinek drove under the pseudonym ‘Monsieur Mercédès’. Many consider that race the birth of Mercedes-Benz as a brand.

In 1901 the name ‘Mercedes’ was re-registered by DMG worldwide as a protected trademark. The first Mercedes-Benz branded vehicles were produced in 1926, following the merger of Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler’s companies into the Daimler-Benz company on 28 June of the same year.

Throughout the 1930s, Mercedes-Benz produced the 170 model. Between 1936 and 1942 over 75,000 were built, making it by far the most popular Mercedes-Benz model up until that point.

Most of the cars produced, and an even higher proportion of those that survive, were two- or four-door ‘Limousine’ – as these saloon/sedan-bodied cars were defined.

But the range of different body types offered in the 1930s for the 170 V was unusually broad. A four-door ‘Cabrio-Limousine’ combined the four doors of the four-door ‘Limousine’ with a full-length foldaway canvas roof.

Both the four door bodies were also available adapted for taxi work, with large luggage racks at the back. There was a two-door two-seater ‘Cabriolet A’ and a two-door four-seater ‘Cabriolet B’, both with luggage storage behind the seats and beneath the storage location of the hood when folded (but without any external lid for accessing the luggage from outside the car).

A common feature of the 170 V bodies was external storage of the spare wheel on the car’s rear panel.

The two-seater roadster, its sportier sibling, featured a large flap behind the two seats with a thinly upholstered rear partition, which could be used either as substantial luggage platform or as an additional – uncomfortable – bench, the mother-in-law seat.

In addition to the wide range of passenger car bodied 170 Vs, a small commercial variant was offered, either as a flatbed truck or with a box body on the back. Special versions of the 170 V were offered, adapted for use as ambulances or by the police, mountain rescue services and military.

And at Beverly Hills Car Club right now we have a version of this extremely popular car, a 1939 Mercedes-Benz 170V Cabriolet B that is finished in brown over tan exterior color complemented with a brown interior. Showcasing its California roots, this 170V boasts a Golden state California license plate that stems from the 1980s.

Equipped with a 4-speed manual gearbox, inline-four engine, single-barrel carburetor, four-wheel drum brakes, VDO instrumentation, convertible soft top, chrome bumpers, hood louvers, fender mounted headlights, four-spoke steering wheel, red solid wheels with Mercedes-Benz-Benz branded hub caps, Firestone white-wall tires, and a rear-mounted spare tire compartment. Featured amenities include forward-folding bucket seats, manual-crank windows, and an analog clock.

Freshly emerged from storage, this Mercedes-Benz is a stunning piece of automotive history waiting to be brought back to its former glory. While it is currently not running, its potential for revival is boundless.

With its classic design and timeless appeal, this vehicle is sure to turn heads and spark admiration wherever it goes.

Over the decades, Mercedes-Benz has introduced many electronic and mechanical innovations and safety features that later became common. Many of these were due to one Bela Barenyi, an Austro-Hungarian engineer who had a huge influence on the automotive industry.

During his 33 years as head of pre-development for Mercedes-Benz he helped revolutionize and popularize the idea of passive safety: crumple zones and the idea of a passenger cell can all be credited to Barenyi.

Born on March 1 1907, outside Vienna, Bela Barenyi was a prolific inventor. Due to his numerous crash protection inventions, Bela Barenyi is regarded as the father of passive safety in automotive design.

Currently, Mercedes-Benz is one of the best-known and longest-standing automotive brands in the world.

The pontiff’s Popemobile has often been sourced from Mercedes-Benz…

-Alex Manos, Owner