1. Mercedes-Benz, the future of the automobile
2. Daimler: engines, carburetors, radiators and transmissions
3. Benz Patent Motor Car, the first automobile
4. The 35 hp Mercedes, the first modern automobile
5. Evolution of the automobile
6. Supercharged engines by Mercedes
7. From independent wheel to active suspension
8. Diesel passenger cars
9. Direct gasoline injection
10. The road to passive safety
11. Holistic accident research
12. Alternative drive systems
13. Milestones of innovation at Mercedes-Benz

Supercharged engines by Mercedes (since 1916)

After the war, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft used the experience gained in supercharging aero engines to raise the output of vehicle engines. The first supercharged Mercedes models were exhibited at the 1921 Berlin Motor Show, creating a considerable stir in the automotive world. Competition cars also were fitted with superchargers. In the Targa Florio in April 1922, Max Sailer won the production car category in a supercharged 28/95 hp Mercedes.

From 1927, one year after the merger between DMG and Benz & Cie. to become Daimler-Benz AG, powerful, supercharged sports cars were launched into the market: the S (Sport), SS (Super Sport), SSK (Super Sport Kurz = Short) and SSKL (Super Sport Kurz Leicht = Short Light). The howl of the performance-enhancing Roots blower used in the sports cars was naturally unacceptable in luxury cars such as the 770 Grand Mercedes. Thanks to effective noise suppression the engine mutated into a discreetly snoring “whisperer” from 1930. The supercharger as a mechanical pressure booster ensures that the engine’s combustion chambers are better supplied with fuel-air mixture than in a merely naturally aspirated engine. Supercharger technology lent wings to other famous Mercedes sports cars and limousines throughout the thirties.

The present-day Mercedes-Benz models with supercharging have very little in common with the first- and second-generation superchargers of the early years. There is no longer any question of disturbing noise. They discreetly provide a permanent increase in output and torque and thus contribute to weight reduction and, in conjunction with other components, also help to improve exhaust emission characteristics.

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