The Archive and Collection department is often referred to as the Group’s memory. Indeed maintaining tradition is itself a tradition at Mercedes-Benz and Daimler AG, since the archive at the historic Untertürkheim location has existed as an institution since 1936. However, the practice of collecting at the company founded by automotive pioneers Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz went back much further – to the beginnings of automotive design.

Preserved here is the history of the company, its products and technology dating back over 120 years of automotive design. The material ranges from design drawings, test reports, correspondence, minutes of meetings and Board of Management records to personal bequests, brochures, vehicle operating manuals, press kits, photographs, films and rare posters.

The sheer scale of the collection is impressive in itself. Laid out end to end, the archived materials would stretch out more than 15,000 metres, and the photographic archive contains more than 3 million images.

Archived materials are organised according to their relative importance to the archive and can be researched using analogue or electronic search tools.

The archive is principally used by Daimler AG itself, which makes use of the wide-ranging material for maintaining its own tradition. In addition, however, selected archive materials can be accessed by the general public — and is used first and foremost by journalists, academics, historians and authors. In principle, the archive and library is on open access to anyone displaying a valid interest.

In addition to traditional archive materials such as documents, print and other media, the department also looks after the vehicle collection, in which the motorised milestones of corporate history are kept, maintained and displayed to the public at the Mercedes-Benz Museum, at vehicle driving events and at trade fairs or motor shows.

Together with the archive, the vehicle collection forms the core of all activities presenting the unique tradition of the Mercedes-Benz brand. Over 700 vehicles by Mercedes-Benz and its predecessor brands – including around 500 passenger cars, 140 racing vehicles and 60 commercial vehicles – provide emphatic proof of these brand values.