1987

15/16 January 1987
On the island of Majorca, Daimler-Benz presents the new MB 100 - 180 van series, which is designed for payloads from 1,000 to 1,800 kg and will be produced at the Vitoria plant in Spain. A variant for the German market is presented under the designation MB 100 D in the autumn.

30 January 1987
The 500,000th unit from the OM 400 family of diesel engines is completed at the Mannheim plant. Introduced in 1970 with the OM 403 V10 engine, this family of commercial vehicle and industrial engines was enlarged to include modular-designed V6 and V8 engines, as well as an in-line six-cylinder unit, all of which underwent continuous development over the years.

5 - 15 March 1987
The two 124-series coupé models 230 CE and 300 CE are unveiled to the public at the Geneva Motor Show.

8 - 15 March 1987
Daimler-Benz presents the technically and stylistically fundamentally reworked MB-trac model range – now expanded to include eight models – at the SIMA international farm machinery show in Paris. The MB-trac 1600 turbo (443 series) with 115 kW / 156 hp six-cylinder engine is the new flagship model in the range.

8 April 1987
Trac-Technik Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (development), Cologne, and Trac-Technik Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH (sales), Gaggenau, in which Daimler-Benz and Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz (KHD) hold stakes of 40 % and 60 % respectively, commence operations after the Federal Antitrust Office approves the two companies's cooperation in the farm tractor sector.

April 1987
The last first-generation SL I Mercedes-Benz standard regular service bus rolls off the assembly line at the Mannheim plant. A total of 24,269 units of the O 305, O 305 G and O 307 have been built since the end of 1968.

19 - 23 May 1987
The U 600 from the 407 series is presented as a prototype at the IFAT municipal vehicle show in Munich. Its main features are a more spacious cab and new transmission. The 407 series marks the beginning of the restructuring of the entire Unimog model range.

22 May 1987
14 months after construction began, Daimler-Benz tops out the new headquarters building in Stuttgart-Möhringen.

May 1987
Zurich's public transportation company orders 35 Mercedes-Benz O 405 GTZ articulated pusher trolley buses. A prototype of this innovative regular service bus has been undergoing testing in practical operation in Zurich since 1986. The 172 kW / 234 hp electric drive, fed by a current collector from overhead cables, is combined with a 66 kW / 90 hp five-cylinder diesel engine as auxiliary drive. If the trolley wire systems fails, the diesel engine permits travel at up to 35 km/h. Delivery of the 35 buses takes place in 1988 and 1989.

June 1987
The ten-millionth passenger car steering unit is completed at the Mercedes-Benz Düsseldorf plant.

August 1987
The 500,000th van from the internally designated T 1 series rolls off the assembly line at the Mercedes-Benz Düsseldorf plant. 290,958 units were produced in Bremen by 1984; and since 1980, 209,042 in Düsseldorf.

1 September 1987
Edzard Reuter succeeds Prof. Werner Breitschwerdt as Chairman of the Board of Management.

10 - 20 September 1987
The Mercedes-Benz 190 D 2.5 Turbo (201 series), 300 D Turbo and 300 TD Turbo (both 124 series) passenger cars are unveiled at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. The V8 models of the S-Class (126 series) are presented with uprated engines. As another innovation, Daimler-Benz also presents the front-passenger airbag which is made available in early 1988, initially in the 126-series S-Class. The new MB 100 D van designed for payloads of one tonne and produced at the Vitoria plant in Spain also celebrates its German premiere. The O 303 RHD and RHS touring coaches are presented with an improved powertrain, the heart of which is the OM 442 V8 naturally aspirated engine or the turbocharged version OM 442 A. The 320 kW / 435 hp intercooled OM 442 LA finds use in the new four-axle 3544 S 8x4/4 tractor truck. Also new is the anti-lock braking system for vans with hydraulic brake systems, its responses tuned according to the mass and weight conditions typically found in vans. The automatic emergency

20 September 1987
In the final Supercup race of the season on the Nürburgring, Jean-Louis Schlesser wins the first race in the Group C Sauber-Mercedes C 9 racing sports car, which like its predecessor the C 8 is powered by a turbocharged variant of the Mercedes-Benz M 117 V8 engine.

24 - 28 November 1987
The Unimog U 900 with newly developed driver's cab and revised technology debuts as the first model in the 417 series at the Agritechnica agricultural show in Frankfurt am Main.