MAYBACH

Wilhelm Maybach left Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in 1907 and in 1909 founded Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau with his son Karl as director; it became Maybach-Motorenbau in 1912. It made petrol and diesel engines for Zeppelins and rail cars. In 1919 it built an experimental car, shown as a production model two years later at the Berlin Motor Show, and between 1921 and 1940 it produced opulent vehicles that are now regarded as classics.

Car production never restarted after the Second World War, and the firm was later renamed MTU Friedrichshafen. Daimler-Benz bought it in 1960. The name came back in 2002 as a standalone ultra-luxury brand with the Maybach 57 and 62, which share components with Mercedes-Benz cars. It stopped being a standalone brand in 2013 and became a Mercedes-Benz sub-brand in 2015.