Ever since the automobile was invented the model designations of Mercedes-Benz have followed clear rules. The fact that they are still being adjusted today is due to the increasing range of the available selection.
The output idea found its way into the model designations from the end of the 1890s – e.g. with the Mercedes 35 PS. In 1909 the new tax rating called the "Steuer-PS" ("tax hp"), which was dependent on displacement, was also included in the designations – one example of this is the Benz 28/50 PS. After efficiency-raising supercharging was introduced the names of the supercharger models from 1924 onwards received both the effective engine output with and without supercharger: e.g. Mercedes 15/70/100 PS.
After the merger producing Daimler-Benz AG, new names were introduced from 1927 as the model range of the new Mercedes-Benz brand continually grew. Place names such as Stuttgart, Mannheim and Nürburg showed the concrete relationship each of the corresponding models had with these cities, for example, the production location in the case of the 8/38 PS Stuttgart 200 or the 14/70 PS Mannheim 350. The three-digit figure in vehicle names which is still known today was introduced in 1928 – initially as an add-on. It represents the vehicle’s displacement.
The names of the legendary supercharger sports cars of the 1920s followed their own logic with the use of letter abbreviations: K, S, SS and SSK stood respectively for "kurz" ("short"), "sport", "super sport" and "super sport kurz" ("super sport short").
From 1931 the naming system was tightened up and made uniform: starting with the model 170, the new models received a name which included only the three-digit figure based on the displacement.
In special cases, such as when models with the same displacement had to be differentiated from one another or the drive technology was to be emphasised, additional letters were tacked on – e.g. K for Kompressor (supercharger), V or H for "Motor vorn" (engine in front) or "Motor im Heck" (engine in rear) and D for diesel.
