Hans Nibel

Grave in the Stuttgart Prague cemetery

Hans Nibel (* 31 August 1880 in Olleschau , Moravia ; † 25. November 1934 in Stuttgart ) was a German mechanical engineering - engineering , who as chief designer and CEO of Benz & Cie. was active.

Life

Nibel was born in Olleschau, where his father was the director of a paper mill. There Nibel became interested in technology. His very good school grades, especially in the subjects of mathematics, physics and drawing, gave the first indications of his inclinations, which Nibel later used professionally. Nibel studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Munich and graduated with a degree in engineering . He gained his first professional experience at various smaller machine factories.

On March 1, 1904, he joined Benz & Cie. a job as a designer. He later became deputy office manager, and in 1908 he was promoted to head of the design department. Numerous vehicles were built under his responsibility, such as the Benz 6/14 PS presented in 1910 . The aim was to put the company on a broader economic basis with smaller types. Luxury vehicles and the Blitzen-Benz closely associated with the Hans Nibel name were also created. As confirmation of the merits of its chief designer, Benz & Cie. In 1912 the Kaiser Prize for the best German aircraft engine , which was also part of the company's delivery program at the time. In December 1911, Nibel became an authorized signatory of Benz & Cie.

Services to the automobile and the company

In recognition of his merits and his achievements for Benz & Cie. During the first years of the First World War , Hans Nibel became a deputy member of the Benz & Cie. board in August 1917 . called. Many new designs that arose under his aegis determined the image of the production program, which was converted to military needs during the war. Nibel thus played a part in ensuring that the company got through the war years successfully.

In August 1922, Benz & Cie. Hans Nibel as a full board member. In recognition of his contributions as a designer and engineer gave him the same year, the Technical University of Karlsruhe , the honorary doctorate (as Dr.-Ing. E. h. ). In 1922, together with the head of the Mannheim design office for chassis, Max Wagner , Nibel built streamlined vehicles with the Benz teardrop wagons with rear independent wheel suspension , which ensured racing success in international competitions. In addition, it had a decisive influence on the use of the diesel engine in road vehicles - in 1922 Benz & Cie. presented a farm tractor as the world's first diesel road vehicle. With the emergence of the community of interests of Benz & Cie. and Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) in 1924, Nibel also joined the board of directors of DMG. In the joint design office he worked alongside Ferdinand Porsche , although he was responsible. Nibel was a strong advocate of the merger of the two companies, which took place in 1926 - after which he moved to the board of the new Daimler-Benz AG . Also in 1926 he finally relocated his work to the Untertürkheim design office of the new company. As an engineer, but also as a board member of the company, he was one of the protagonists under the leadership of CEO Wilhelm Kissel who successfully mastered the merger of the two oldest automobile manufacturers in the world.

Technical Director of Daimler-Benz AG

On January 1, 1929, Nibel became the technical director in charge, succeeding Ferdinand Porsche. He refined its vehicle designs. For example, his improvements made the Mercedes-Benz 8/38 PS type Stuttgart 200 ( W 02 series ) a successful car, which secured the brand considerable production figures in times of the global economic crisis . Nibel improved the sporty types S, SS, SSK and SSKL ( W 06 , 1926–1934) as well as the noble “Nürburg” series ( W 08 , 1929–1939), so that some in international sport, others in international Luxury automobile market held up well. Mercedes-Benz managed to attract international attention with the first “Big Mercedes” type 770 ( W 07 , 1930–1938).

The type 170 ( W 15 , 1931-1936) followed. In this, important patents were implemented, such as an independent wheel suspension , independent wheel steering and an " overdrive transmission " based on the Mercedes-Benz-Maybach system . The gearbox provided the right gear ratio for almost every speed and terrain, and at the same time it had the effect of reducing speed and thus consumption at higher speeds.

These and other innovations gradually found their way into other Mercedes-Benz models. The temporary high point was the compressor type 380 ( W 22 ) presented in 1932 and also for which Nibel was responsible , the successor of which was the types 500 K / 540 K ( W 29 ).

In 1934, the drive concept with a rear engine was installed again in a vehicle: the type 130 ( W 23 ). At the time, this Nibel design was considered to be groundbreaking, even if it turned out to be somewhat unsuccessful in the brand's portfolio together with the further developed types 150 (with mid-engine) and 170 H. The Mercedes-Benz 170 V ( W 136 , 1936–1942), which Nibel launched, was then more successful - the first vehicle with an X-shaped, light and stable oval tube frame.

Racing

Nibel also drew attention to himself at motorsport events. In 1909 he received the “Prize of the Hereditary Princess of Saxony” on the Prince Heinrich Tour, in 1912 the “Silver Plaque” at the International Austrian Alpine Tour and in 1914 the “Prize of the Ministry of the Interior” for the Carpathian Tour. The racing car ( W 25 ) designed by Nibel for the 750 kilogram formula brought the company racing successes with drivers like Rudolf Caracciola from 1934 to 1937 and also established the tradition of the Silver Arrows .

Hans Nibel died on November 25, 1934 of the consequences of a heart attack and was buried in the Prague cemetery in Stuttgart . His successor as Technical Director at Daimler-Benz was Max Sailer .

Two years after Nibel's death, Mercedes-Benz presented the 260 D ( W 138 , 1936–1940), the development of which he had initially accompanied. Nibel's constructions were used until the 1950s. He can thus be regarded as one of the most influential automobile designers not only from Mercedes-Benz, but also from the entire industry.

literature

• Werner Oswald: Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars, Volume 1, 1886–1945. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-613-02778-7 .
• Hans Christoph Graf von Seherr-Thoss:  Nibel, Johann. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 19, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-428-00200-8 , p. 196 f. ( Digitized version ). (with incorrect indication of the place of birth as "Oleškau (Oleška, Kaaden / Eger district)" in West Bohemia )
• Robert Volz (Red.): Reich manual of the German society . Volume 2 (L – Z), Deutscher Wirtschaftsverlag, Berlin 1931, DNB 453960294 .

Web links

• Dossier: Hans Nibel by Jörg Maschke on ticker.mercedes-benz-passion.com from January 1, 2009, accessed on October 26, 2015