During a trip to visit Mercedes-Benz in its hometown of Stuttgart, Germany, HDT toured the OEM's world-class museum and came away with photos of some of the most important and iconic trucks in history.
Historic Mercedes-Benz Trucks
But there still wasn't a general name for larger vehicles designed to haul goods. This 1899 light truck was officially marketed as a "business vehicle," for example.
Photo: Jack Roberts
This massive 1938 O 10000 served as a mobile post office and communications center for Austrian troops during the Second World War.
Photo: Jack Roberts
Racing was critical for Merceds-Benz in the 1950s. And the High-Speed Transporter blended both Mercedes' racing technology and truck technology into a showcase vehicle capable of reaching speeds up to 105 mph.
Photo: Jack Roberts
At the dawn of the 1960s, cabover designs like this 1959 LP 333 were becoming popular in tight European cities and would eventually dominate that market.
Photo: Jack Roberts
Mercedes-Benz van designs continued to advance as well. This is a 1965 I 406 Panel Van.
Photo: Jack Roberts
By 1898, Mercedes-Benz engineers had worked out the basic design characteristics of what would eventually define modern trucks.
Photo: Jack Roberts
One of Mercedes-Benz's most prized possessions is this original 1898 Transporter Wagon.
Photo: Jack Roberts
But truck design made huge strides in the first decade of the 20th Century, as this 1912 Benz model shows.
Photo: Jack Roberts
In 1932, the first diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz trucks appeared -- a design that continues to dominate the industry to this day.
Photo: Jack Roberts
Diesel was clearly the ideal fuel for truck-heavy trucks -- and an important marketing tool, as the prominent "Diesel" logo on the grill of this 1938 LO 6500 truck shows.
Photo: Jack Roberts
This stylish 1940 O 2600 Touring Coach delivered comfort and performance on long road trips.
Photo: Jack Roberts
By 1952, with the war over, Mercedes-Benz set about rebuilding its company and updating both its designs and vehicle technology -- as evidenced by this 1952 LF 3500 fire truck.
Photo: Jack Roberts
This 1952 LF 3500 touring coach highlights the automotive styling cues that are still seen in Mercedes-Benz vehicles today.
Photo: Jack Roberts
Perhaps the most iconic truck in the museum is this 1955 High-Speed Race Car Transporter Wagon.
Photo: Jack Roberts
One cool detail on the High-Speed Transporter is the curved back window section.
Photo: Jack Roberts
This 1960 LK 338 dump truck looks both stylish and rugged at the same time.
Photo: Jack Roberts
A 1974 Mercedes-Benz LP 1513 tanker truck gleams in Shell livery.
Photo: Jack Roberts