Daimler Phoenix

Daimler
	Daimler Phoenix, probably in the version from 1897. Emil Jellinek at the wheel
Motor-carriage "Phoenix-Wagen"
Sales designation:	Phoenix car 4 HP, 6 HP, 8 HP, 10 HP, 12 HP, 15 HP, 16 HP, 20 HP, 23 HP
Production period:	1897-1902
Class :	Middle class
Body versions :	Vis-à-vis , Coupé , Phaeton , Victoria, Landauer
Engines:	Petrol engines : ; from 1.1 liters ; (3 kW)
Length:
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Wheelbase :
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Previous model	none
successor	Mercedes Simplex ; Mercedes 35 HP

The Daimler Phönix was the first passenger car with a four-cylinder engine and was delivered by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) to the Austrian consul and businessman Emil Jellinek on September 12, 1898 . The 2.1 liter four-cylinder engine developed 8 hp (5.9 kW) at a speed of 720 rpm. The top speed was 24 km / h. Before that, Daimler's four-cylinder engines were only built into trucks and boats.

The development of the four-cylinder engine

The four-cylinder engine, also known as the “N” engine, was developed in 1892 by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach . The "N" stands for "new model". This engine replaced the two-cylinder V-engine that powered the Daimler “steel wheeled car” from 1889, among other things.

For the first time, two cylinders were cast together in one block, partly to save weight. The bending moments on the double-bearing crankshaft were kept smaller by the small cylinder center distances. The cylinder block was bolted to the crankcase. The exhaust valves operated a camshaft. With the spray nozzle carburetor, the fuel-air mixture could be better adapted to the respective driving situation than with the voluminous surface carburetor used until then. The first engine with a displacement of 1.5 liters developed 5.8 hp (4.3 kW) at a speed of 720 rpm. The improved version of the "N" motor had the low-voltage magnetic ignition invented by Robert Bosch and more effective cooling. The European automobile manufacturers, especially the French, were very impressed by this development and gave it the name under which it became famous: the “Phoenix” engine. This was the namesake for a whole range of Daimler models. From then on, the engine was installed in the front of all models.

Cooling the engine with an output of over 10 HP (7.4 kW) was difficult up to this point. In order to solve this problem, Maybach developed the “tube cooler” in 1897 and the resulting “honeycomb cooler”, which he patented in March 1900.

Phoenix four-cylinder engine

In order to achieve higher performance from his engines, Gottlieb Daimler doubled the number of cylinders. An example of this was the two-cylinder V-engine based on the “grandfather clock”, the second version of the single-cylinder original engine. The “Phoenix” four-cylinder was built according to the same principle. The two double cylinder blocks sat on the common crankcase with the triple-bearing crankshaft. The remaining components corresponded to its predecessor. Gradually there were 6, 10, 12, 16 and even 23 HP engines with ever larger displacements. The “Phönix” engines worked via a leather cone clutch on a four-speed gear change transmission. It formed a block with the differential acting on the sprocket shaft. From there the rear wheels were individually driven by chains.

The chassis

Early “Phoenix” cars had a chassis made of straight U-shaped iron profiles. The rigid axles with a short wheelbase of 1753 millimeters lay on longitudinal leaf springs. The stub axle steering was moved either by a steering crank or a steering wheel. The foot brake acted as an external shoe brake on the drive shaft and the handbrake acted on the rear wheels via external shoes. In addition, there was a “mountain support”, a sturdy pole mounted at the rear, which was driven into the mostly relatively soft road surface with a strong kick when the vehicle was standing uphill. The wooden spoke wheels of different sizes at the front and rear were initially fitted with solid rubber tires. But since 1899 only pneumatic tires have been used. The total weight of the "Phoenix" was around 1400 kilograms. The Daimler “Phoenix” car had a very high center of gravity. The cars swayed alarmingly, especially in fast corners. At the time, that wasn't unusual. A turning point only emerged when the foreman of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft, Wilhelm Bauer , had a fatal accident with a Daimler “Phoenix” racing car reported by Emil Jellinek during the Nice – La Turbie hill climb in March 1900 . Jellinek thought of a remedy. A longer wheelbase and a lower center of gravity were the first steps on the way to the modern automobile and led in 1900 via the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft with its designer Wilhelm Maybach to the Mercedes 35 PS and its successor, the Mercedes Simplex (1901).