I am a bit ashamed, because this is something that I am supposed to know, but am I alone in this? So let me tell you this little story. I was working at the gym (which has a great view on the Maas river) on a ‘Maharaja’ article, yes I use the gym as my office, but also to work out of course : ) I showed a friend of mine the books I was studying to learn more about the Maharajas and their cars. The Automobiles of the Maharajas by Sharada Dwivedi and Manvendra Singh Barwani and JOYAUX AUTOMOBILES MAHARADJAHS (French) by Gautam Sen, are some incredibly fine books! I wish My French was better, but for now Gautam’s book is a great book to look at lovely pics of Maharaja cars and I have a very nice father to help me with the translation… ; )    

Anyway I thought my friend from the gym might be interested in the Maharaja cars, because she is of Indian origin. While talking she told me about her dad who was an engineer for Mercedes-Benz. She made me aware of the meaning of the Mercedes-Benz star and even my dad didn’t know this… Oops! I did some research and yes she is right. So here we go, the origin of the three-pronged star! This characteristic trademark was originally created by Gottlieb Daimler and featured on his automobiles as of 1909. Originally the Mercedes logo (Daimler and Benz didn’t merge until 1926) wasn’t incased in a circle; that wasn’t added until 1916 as you can see in the picture. After some research I can tell you now the whole story behind the star. Gottlieb Daimler (1834-1900) had been technical director of the Deutz gas engine factory from 1872 until 1881. At the beginning of his employment there, he had marked a star above his own house on a picture postcard of Deutz at Cologne, which he had sent to his wife.  He wrote on the postcard that this star would one day shine over his own factory to symbolize prosperity. Was he perhaps clairvoyant? Much later, when Daimler himself wasn’t alive anymore, Paul and Adolf Daimler – Gottlieb’s two sons – needed a catchy trademark for the marque and remembered the letter with the star that their dad had once used as a symbol. This was it! The Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG) board immediately accepted the proposal and in June 1909 both a three-pointed and a four-pointed star were registered as trademarks. Although both designs were legally protected, only the three-pointed star was used. From 1910 onwards, a three-dimensional star adorned the radiator of each Mercedes. The three-pointed star was supposed to symbolize Daimler’s ambition of universal motorization (on land, on water and in the air). Over the years, various small alterations were made. In 1916, the tips were surrounded by a circle, in which four small stars and the word Mercedes were integrated, or alternatively the names of the DMG plants at Untertürkheim and Berlin-Marienfeld. In November 1921, DMG applied for legal protection of utility patents for new variations on their trademark and lodged with the patent office a three-dimensional three-pointed star enclosed in a circle – which included the design intended for use on the radiator grille. It became a registered trademark in August 1923. So it is all about this fact: the star symbolizes the universal motorization and the three prongs stand for land, water and air! Thank you Monica! Written by Rosemarijn Atalante Veenenbos