The four-stroke gasoline engine was the heart of the first modern automobile designed by Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz in 1886. Independently of one another, the two pioneers developed small, high-speed engines, based on Nikolaus Otto’s four-stroke principle, for the drive system of new automobiles. Since the use of these engines in the Benz patent motor car and Daimler’s motor carriage, the four-stroke gasoline engine has experienced unparalleled development.

With their constant innovation, Daimler AG and its predecessor companies have played an important role in the success story of this internal combustion engine for more than 120 years. It is thanks to their tireless work that the single-cylinder power unit of the automobile pioneers became an ultra-modern drive system, especially for passenger cars.

The development of the gasoline engine
Carl Benz and the high-speed four-stroke engine
Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach and the Grandfather Clock
The Mercedes-Benz gasoline engine from 1926 on
Mercedes-Benz gasoline engines since 1945
The carburetor era comes to an end
Mercedes-Benz gasoline engines in research and motor sports