Scientific curiosity and the roughness were the driving forces in Gottlieb Daimler's career. Born the son of a master baker on 17th March 1834 in Schorndorf, he served an apprenticeship to a gunsmith, then expanded his horizons firstly in the locomotive industry, then at the Stuttgart Polytechnic. He subsequently worked for various engineering firms in France and England. In 1865, Daimler was entrusted, as Technical Manager, with reorganising the engineering works of the Reutlingen Brotherhood. Here he became acquainted with the outstandingly talented young draughtsman and engineer, Wilhelm Maybach.This fateful meeting marked a turning point in the lives of both men.When Daimler joined the Maschinenbaugesellschaft Karlsruhe in 1869 as "Chairman of all Workshops", he arranged the very same year for Maybach to be taken on. Henceforth, Daimler and Maybach formed an inseparable team. In 1872,

Gottlieb Daimler becameTechnical Director of the Gasmotorenfabrik Deutz AG, founded shortly before by Nikolaus Otto and Eugen Langen. Maybach moved with him and became head of the design office. During this period, Otto developed his four-stroke engine and it was clear to Daimler that this smaller and lighter engine would prove superior to the large and unwieldy gas engines of the times.