1909

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  • April 1909
  • After signing a pre-contractual agreement covering manufacturing licences, DMG decides to build the sleeve-valve engine invented by the American Charles J. Knight in a six-unit test series. The first such unit is completed on 23 July.
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  • 1 May 1909
  • German Paul Graetz completes the first crossing of Africa by car, arriving at Swakopmund, German South West Africa. His specially-designed 35 hp car is constructed at Süddeutsche Automobilfabrik Gaggenau GmbH and features a special body built by the Neuss coachworks in Berlin. The 9,500-km journey began in Dar-es-Salaam, German East Africa, on 10 August 1907.
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  • May 1909
  • Five months after the presentation of its prototype in the Mercedes Palace in Paris, DMG begins delivery of the 15/20 hp "Mercedes Cardan" car with propshaft drive, adding an inexpensive entry-level model and a second propshaft-driven passenger car to the sales range.
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  • 10 - 18 June 1909
  • DMG works driver Alfred Vischer steers Willy Pöge's Mercedes touring car to second place in the second Prinz Heinrich Rally, staged over the 1,858-km Berlin - Breslau - Tatra - Lomnicz - Vienna - Salzburg - Munich route. Pöge's car is a more powerful version of the new 15/20 hp car with propshaft drive.
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  • 24 June 1909
  • DMG applies to protect designs for a three-pointed star and, four days later, for a four-pointed star. Both variants are registered as trademarks on 9 February 1911. Whereas the four-pointed star is not introduced until 1989 by Deutsche Aerospace AG (DASA), the three-pointed star is used immediately and soon becomes one of the world's most recognised trademarks.
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  • July 1909
  • Production of the first 120 hp / 88 kW four-cylinder J 4 F power unit marks the beginning of aeroengine construction at DMG. The 30 hp / 22 kW B 4 F duly follows one month later, with the first 60 hp / 44 kW four-cylinder D 4 F variant – which remains in production until 1912 – completed in September.
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  • 6 August 1909
  • Benz & Cie. submits its new trademark to the Imperial Patent Office. It shows the name Benz inside a stylised laurel wreath and is officially registered as a trademark on 10 October 1910.
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  • 22 August 1909
  • Fritz Erle takes victory in the one-kilometre race in Frankfurt am Main at the wheel of the 200 hp Benz racing car, which would later become famous as the "Lightning Benz" or "Blitzen Benz", at an average speed of 159.3 km/h.
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  • 19 September 1909
  • Following up on his success of 1908 and driving a 160 hp Mercedes racing car owned by Theodor Dreher, Otto Salzer once again posts the best time at the eleventh Semmering Race, improving his record of the previous year to 84.3 km/h. With that, Mercedes scores its ninth consecutive overall win in this major hillclimb event.
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  • 8 November 1909
  • Victor Hémery sets two new world records in a 200 hp Benz at the Brooklands race track near Weybridge, UK. He completes the half mile with flying start at a speed of 205.7 km/h.
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