The 1903 Parsifil was Benz's answer to Mercedes. A two cylinder vertical engine produced a top speed of 37 mph in this car.
Aware of the promotional potential of racing, both Daimler and Benz entered many of them. However, up until 1908, Daimler had overshadowed Benz in racing endeavors. At the 1908 French Grand Prix, Benz took second and third place behind Lautenschlager driving a Mercedes. From that point on, both Benz and Daimler did well in racing.
At the beginning of the first world war, both factories were converted into production sites for war materials, although both resumed producing cars after the war.
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1902 Benz Spider 2 cylinders
Bore: 125mm
Stroke: 120mm
Displacement: 2945 cc
Output at 1100 rpm: 15 hp
Top speed: 60 km/h
Although today the name is normally reserved for cars that are low and rounded, at the turn of the century Spider was the name for most two-seaters. The Benz Spider could also be easily converted to a four-seater. The front-mounted 2.9-litre engine could produce speeds of up to 37 mph - fairly fast for its time. This Spider, now in the Stuttgart museum, has been lucky to survive its many years spent under a coalheap, before it was renovated by an enthusiast.
