1915

  • 31 May 1915
  • Driving the 1914 Mercedes Grand Prix racing car, Ralph DePalma wins the legendary 500-mile race in Indianapolis, Indiana/USA. His speed averages 144.6 km/h.
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  • 6/7 July 1915
  • DMG acquires from the town authorities in Sindelfingen approximately 38 hectares of land near the Böblingen military airfield, with the aim of constructing an aircraft factory. By 2 October the site has been extended by a further 13 hectares in order to allow for the addition of a bodywork production facility. The aircraft factory is given priority and planning begins immediately, with the groundbreaking ceremony taking place in early 1916. Over the course of the year, DMG goes on to purchase additional land in Untertürkheim and Marienfelde to expand the two plants.
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  • Autumn 1915
  • Benz & Cie. acquires a stake in the Aviatik-Flugzeugwerke company based in Freiburg im Breisgau, southern Germany. This company relocates to Leipzig in 1916 and turns out 100 aircraft each month, building the C-V reconnaissance plane of Deutsche Flugzeugwerke under licence. This plane is fitted with a 200 hp / 147 kW Benz Bz IV six-cylinder engine.
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  • 24 October 1915
  • Benz & Cie. concludes an agreement with Ungarische Gummiwarenfabrik-Aktiengesellschaft covering the acquisition of a majority holding in Marta Ungarische Automobil AG based in Arad, Hungary. The new subsidiary begins production of Benz aeroengines and trucks in 1916.
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  • December 1915
  • The Mercedes D IV aeroengine successfully passes the type test of the German Aviation Research Institute in Berlin-Adlershof. This 220 hp / 162 kW in-line eight-cylinder unit developed from the D III is the first German aeroengine to incorporate a propeller gearbox.
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