1979

  • 5 - 10 February 1979
  • In Toulon, France, the Mercedes-Benz 460-series cross-country vehicle developed in cooperation with Steyr-Daimler-Puch is unveiled to the press. Produced in Graz, Austria, the range includes four models, which can be ordered with two different wheelbase lengths and five different body variants. The model line-up ranges from the 240 GD, 300 GD and 230 G up to the 280 GE, with output rising from 53 kW / 72 hp to 110 kW / 150 hp.
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  • 21 March 1979
  • The Supervisory Board of Daimler-Benz AG confirms the plans of the Board of Management to transfer van production from Bremen to Düsseldorf and to build the 201-series compact class car models also in Bremen.
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  • April 1979
  • The 10,000th MB-trac is completed at the Gaggenau plant.
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  • 5 May 1979
  • Test engineer Dr Hans Liebold drives a C 111-IV to a new speed record of 403.978 km/h on the Nardò circuit in Italy. He also sets new records for 10 km, 100 km, 10 miles and 100 miles. The record-breaking car is powered by a 368 kW / 500 hp, 4.8-litre V8 engine based on the 4.5-litre production engine. It is also fitted with twin exhaust gas turbochargers.
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  • 8 May 1979
  • As part of a five-year testing programme, the first four of a total of 13 Mercedes-Benz OE 305 hybrid electric buses with combined diesel-battery drive system are put into regular service in Stuttgart. A further seven vehicles follow suit in September in the town of Wesel.
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  • 1 June 1979
  • Five Mercedes-Benz duo buses based on the O 305 begin a testing programme in regular service in the town of Esslingen. Two of these test vehicles are designed for combined battery/overhead-cable use, the three others – including an articulated pusher bus based on the O 305 G – for diesel/overhead-cable operation.
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  • 8 June - 1 July 1979
  • Daimler-Benz gives a practical demonstration of the O-Bahn concept at the International Traffic and Transport Exhibition in Hamburg. This flexible system combines the benefits of rail and bus transport and involves automatically guided rail buses moving on their own guideway. Also presented is the S 80, a prototype of a regular service urban bus for the 1980s, designed to provide even more comfortable and convenient transportation for passengers. The knowledge gained through the S 80 project is channeled into development of the O 405, unveiled in the fall of 1983 as a second-generation standard regular service bus.
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  • 8 July 1979
  • Three apprentice teams from Untertürkheim and Sindelfingen take the first three places in the "Kilometre Marathon" at the Hockenheim circuit driving "economobiles" they have built themselves. The Untertürkheim driver Frank Maier improves the fuel consumption world record, set in 1977, to 970 km per litre.
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  • 13 - 23 September 1979
  • The new Mercedes-Benz 280 S, 280 SE, 280 SEL, 380 SE, 380 SEL, 500 SE and 500 SEL 126-series S-Class models are unveiled at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt am Main. A key innovation are the V8 engines from the M 116 and M 117 series, which now feature a light-alloy block. Another newcomer is the 300 TD Turbodiesel (123 series), the first series-produced diesel passenger car on the German market to be fitted with a turbocharger. Daimler-Benz also presents an updated heavy-duty truck range, the most important new elements of which are the OM 422 V8 engine, available in four variants developing up to 276 kW / 375 hp, and a particularly comfortable extra-large driver's cab. Series production of the "New Generation 80" starts in autumn 1980. Another new product is the redesigned generation of the O 303 coach series, presented with an undivided windshield, and the new O 303 RHS and O 303 RHD luxury touring coaches.
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  • 28 November 1979
  • In Berlin, Daimler-Benz AG gives an insight into its activities in the field of alcohol-based fuels. A fleet of 80 Mercedes-Benz test vehicles are among those involved in a large-scale testing programme taking place as part of the "Alternative Drive Systems" project supported by the Federal Ministry for Research and Technology in Germany. A series of 208 van models powered by M 15 (85 % premium petrol, 15 % methanol) begins testing before autumn is out. Test passenger cars equipped for operation with pure methanol or pure ethanol go into service the following year.
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  • 9 - 14 December 1979
  • The Daimler-Benz driver teams of Hannu Mikkola/Arne Hertz, Björn Waldegaard/Hans Thorszelius, Andrew Cowan/Rolf Kaiser and Vic Preston Jr./Mike Doughty – all at the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC 5.0 – take the first four places in the Bandama Rally, Côte d'Ivoire.
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  • 31 December 1979
  • Prof. Joachim Zahn retires after 21 years at the company, 14 of them as Chairman of the Board of Management. On 2 July 1980 he is appointed to the Supervisory Board of Daimler-Benz AG.
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  • December 1979
  • Series production of the new 126-series S-Class begins at the Sindelfingen plant, involving a newly introduced part-automation of the assembly lines. Rotating overhead conveyors swivel the vehicles onto their side, thereby largely removing the need for overhead work.
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