Although it doesn't open its doors to the public until May 20th, the new Mercedes-Benz museum will be the central theme at this year's Techno Classica fair in Essen, Germany.

Under the motto “Welcome to the Inventor of the Automobile”, Mercedes' aim at this year's trade fair will be to document the significance of the new museum with respect to preserving brand tradition.  To do so, a 1,000 square meter exhibit in the style of the new museum is being constructed on the Essen fair grounds, offering visitors the opportunity to witness a number of unique Mercedes automobiles.  A few highlights include the original Patent Motor Car from 1886, a vehicle personally donated by Karl Benz to the German museum in Munich in 1906, as well as the Mercedes bionic car, a highly fuel efficient concept vehicle modeled after a boxfish.

If you're interested in attending, the Mercedes' exhibit will be open to the public on the Essen trade fair grounds from April 6th - April 9th.

But what if you can't make it to the Techno Classica fair?

To the majority of my American readers that won't be attending this year's festivities, Mercedes has taken pity on you as well.  To help pass the time until the museum's grand opening, Mercedes has published a number of photos today that showcase the company's history and also offer the first glimpses inside the new museum.  You can view all the photos immediately below (click any to enlarge), followed by a press release detailing the new museum and this year's Techno Classica fair. Enjoy.

		Gottlieb Daimler (1834-1900)
		Karl Benz (1844-1929)
		Patent specification number DRP 36423 for the Daimler riding car with the Grandfather Clock engine installed, filed on August 29, 1885.
		Daimler riding car, 1885. The world’s first motorbike.
		Daimler riding car, 1885. The world’s first motorbike.
		Daimler single-cylinder engine of 1885 (upright), called Grandfather Clock on account of its shape.
		On January 29, 1886, Karl Benz was granted German Patent No. 37435 for his motorized vehicle. This patent document marks the beginning of automotive mobility. It describes the first fully-functioning engine/chassis unit – the Patent Motor Car designed by Karl Benz.
		Benz Patent Motor Car – The world’s first automobile
		The Patent Motor Car of 1887, an advanced version of the first motor car of 1886. At the wheel: Karl Benz, with his commercial clerk Josef Brecht beside him.
		Benz Patent Motor Car – The world’s first automobile
		Benz Patent Motor Car – The world’s first automobile
		Benz Patent Motor Car – The world’s first automobile
		Benz Patent Motor Car – The world’s first automobile
		Benz Patent Motor Car – The world’s first automobile
		Karl Benz at the wheel of his Patent Motor Car in 1925, during the transport exhibition on Theresienwiese, Munich’s trade-fair and public-festival grounds.
		On January 29, 1886, Karl Benz was granted German Patent No. 37435 for his motorized vehicle. This patent document marks the beginning of automotive mobility. It describes the first fully-functioning engine/chassis unit – the Patent Motor Car designed by Karl Benz.
		Inventory card of the German Museum (Deutsches Museum)
		Letter written by Oskar von Miller (August 22, 1905) to Benz & Cie., Mannheim Gas Engine Factory (page one)
		Letter written by Oskar von Miller (August 22, 1905) to Benz & Cie., Mannheim Gas Engine Factory (page two)
		Letter written by Benz & Cie., Mannheim Gas Engine Factory, to the German Museum (Deutsches Museum) in Munich (page one)
		Letter written by Benz & Cie., Mannheim Gas Engine Factory, to the German Museum (Deutsches Museum) in Munich (page two)
		Advice note of Benz & Cie., Mannheim Gas Engine Factory, to the German Museum (Deutsches Museum) in Munich (front)
		Advice note of Benz & Cie., Mannheim Gas Engine Factory, to the German Museum (Deutsches Museum) in Munich (back)
		Shipping confirmation of Benz & Cie., Mannheim Gas Engine Factory, to the German Museum (Deutsches Museum) in Munich
		New Mercedes-Benz Museum / Exterior view
		New Mercedes-Benz Museum / Exterior view
		New Mercedes-Benz Museum / Interior view (atrium)
		New Mercedes-Benz Museum / Interior view with Mercedes Simplex (1902)
		New Mercedes-Benz Museum / Interior view with Mercedes-Benz SSK (1929)
		New Mercedes-Benz Museum / Interior view with 1.5-liter formula racing car (W 165; 1939)
		New Mercedes-Benz Museum / Interior view with 300 SL roadster (W198 II; 1962)
		New Mercedes-Benz Museum / Interior view with 300 SL roadster (W198 II; 1962)
		New Mercedes-Benz Museum / Interior view with Benz Patent Motor Car (1886)

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE


Techno Classica 2006 – “Welcome to the Inventor of the Automobile”

• New Mercedes-Benz Museum: Tailor-made outfit for the brand’s tradition
  
  
• The world’s most important trade fair for classic cars on the trade fair grounds in Essen from April 6 - 9, 2006
  
  
• The first automobile as the centerpiece

Stuttgart/Essen, Apr 04, 2006
About a month before its official inauguration, the new Mercedes-Benz Museum will be the central theme at the Techno Classica in Essen. Under the motto “Welcome to the Inventor of the Automobile”, Mercedes-Benz will document the significance of the new museum for the brand’s cultivation of tradition on a 1,000-square-meter stand on the trade fair grounds in Essen from April 6 - 9, 2006. Together with the partners of the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center and the brand clubs, a display area as large as almost 2,300 square meters will be occupied.

The key exhibit on the trade fair stand will be the original Patent Motor Car from 1886, which Karl Benz personally donated to the German Museum in Munich in 1906. It will be the first time that the German Museum makes the car available on loan – precisely 100 years after its donation and 120 years after the invention of the automobile by Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler. Daimler’s experimental engine from 1883 will also be on display – another milestone in automotive history since this was the first engine with a comparatively high engine speed, to generate the required out-put for driving an automobile.

Another two exhibits in Essen will represent the present and the future of automotive engineering. The concept car - the Mercedes-Benz Bionic Car – was presented in 2005. It features outstanding aerodynamic efficiency with its characteristic bodywork shape modelled on the tropical boxfish. In combination with BLUETEC, the world’s cleanest diesel technology, excellent fuel economy can be achieved. With the Bionic Car, the inventor of the automobile casts a glance into the future. And with the Mercedes-Benz R-Class, the future appears to have arrived in the present time already – a novel, unique car concept which underlines the brand’s pioneering role. The R-Class offers space for up to six people in a luxurious ambience.

The new Mercedes-Benz Museum will be inaugurated on May 19. From May 20, visitors will be able to go on a journey through time in the new museum – through 120 years of automotive history: 163 vehicles will be displayed on nine levels with a total area of 16,500 square meters. For the first time, over 100 years of corporate commercial vehicle history will also be on show.

The trade fair stand at the Techno Classica will be designed in the style of the new Mercedes-Benz Museum. The latter stands for the cultivation of the brand’s tradition, but it is also much more than just a new home for 120 years of automotive history: The Mercedes-Benz Museum is committed to the customers, the company’s staff and the public. It is this history that moves what is displayed in the museum – in the literal as well as figurative sense.

The new Mercedes-Benz Museum has been created in much the same way as a new automobile. A virtual model generated with computer assistance in the early stages, it is now ready for its first test run after less than three years of construction work. In the development of the concept, all involved had to break new ground, and the concept’s unique character suggests just one comparison: The new Mercedes-Benz Museum will be the S-Class among the world’s museums and will represent the brand and its values. It will communicate these values to people from all over the world. And it will set new standards in every respect – just like the S-Class from Mercedes-Benz.

Located right next to the traditional DaimlerChrysler plant in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim, the new Mercedes-Benz Museum reaches out to all employees who worked, are – and will be – working for the company, giving them the promise of continuity. The new Mercedes-Benz Museum is designed as a landmark that symbolizes the responsibility 120 years of automotive tradition holds for the future. Based based on the continuous innovative drive of the Mercedes-Benz brand, innovations being milestones on the way into the future. Examples of this will be provided by the exhibits at the Techno Classica.

The architecture of the new Mercedes-Benz Museum is equally committed to the originality concept of the Mercedes-Benz brand, namely to develop completely new things for people’s mobility time and a gain – from the invention of the automobile through to the ground-breaking vision of accident-free driving. The double helix inside the building reflects the genetic make-up of the Mercedes-Benz brand and its tradition.

The first museum of Daimler-Benz AG was opened in 1936 and comprehensively redesigned in 1961. It was generously extended in 1986, in time for the 100th anniversary of the automobile. And it has always been a mirror of the brand, allowing customers, employees and the public at large to gain an in-depth insight into the workings of the brand. The new museum will remain a role model and a standard for the cultivation of automotive tradition – see for yourself from May 20, 2006.

Copyright © 2006, DaimlerChrysler AG