Fritz Erle

Born in Mannheim, Erle joined Benz & Co. in March 1894 as a trained locksmith. Two years later, he competed in his first race over the marathon distance from Paris to Marseille and back, together with Eugen Benz. After attending the technical college in Ilmenau/Thuringia, he passed the engineering examination and returned to Benz & Co. as a design engineer, where he developed the Mannheim manufacturer's first vertical four-cylinder engine from 1900 – an important milestone on Benz's path to the modern car. in 1904, he took over the management of the company and the testing department together with Richard Benz.

Three years later, Erle was promoted to head of the racing department. Despite his fast-paced career, he still drove various racing cars himself. The Mannheim native became the most successful driver in the company's history and was able to claim countless victories, for example at the Herkomer competition in 1907, the Prinz-Heinrich-Fahrt in 1908 and 1909 as well as the Spa Week in 1912 and 1913. He also celebrated several great successes in the legendary "Blitzen-Benz", for example at the Gaillon hill climb near Rouen in 1910. During the First World War, Erle remained with the company as plant manager and subsequently took over the management of the repair workshop in Berlin for several years as an authorised signatory. He retired in 1935.