Get a piece of Unimog museum at home. This 60 x 40 cm sheet metal sign is an eye-catcher, whether in the garage, workshop, kitchen or office. On the embossed tin sign is the history of the Unimog from 1946. Each individual Unimog embossed, with great attention to, detail. Ideal for Unimog fans, whether of historical or modern models.
Exclusively now order online at Buch & Bild:
https://www.buchundbild.de/de/blechschild-br-unimog-stammbaum
Family tree of Mercedes-Benz Unimog and MB-trac
The graphic is in the Unimog museum in Gaggenau in the format of 5 x 6m.
Hildegard Knoop, Gaggenau’s mayor Christof Florus, Stefan Schwaab and Rainer Hildebrandt (from left) and museum dog Steffi cutting the ribbon (Photo: David Endres).
Almost two years of construction, repeated delays due to material and tradesmen bottlenecks, cost explosion in almost all areas – all this will be forgotten when the Unimog Museum in Gaggenau reopens to visitors on the last weekend in January 2023.
Unimog and MB-trac show
From January 28 and 29, 2023, the exhibition “The Best of the Unimog Museum” will be on display and can be experienced in the overall building, which will then be more than twice as large. Almost all Unimog and MB-trac series will be presented, along with a number of attachments from a wide range of applications. Wherever possible, this show will be equipped with vehicles and other exhibits from the depots. In the course of its almost 17 years of existence, the museum has received many beautiful and unusual Unimogs, MB-tracs, power units and attachments as permanent loans, sold them for small sums of money or bequeathed them in wills, some of which have never before been on display in an exhibition.
Construction and interior
Designed by Kohlbecker Gesamtplan and realized by Grötz GmbH as general contractor, the new Unimog Museum not only offers an impressive visual appearance with lots of wood, but also space for twice as many Unimogs in the exhibition as before, as well as for the associated aggregates. All this is explained by means of new digital exhibit steles provided to the museum by the Gaggenau Unimog Club. Visitors can click their way through information about the specific vehicle and the model series, right up to photos and films with examples of applications.
In addition, large digital steles provide general information about the Unimog and its involvement in regional, German and international (economic) history. The “MB-trac” chapter is a major focus in the new museum. Four instead of two vehicles are on display, and the history of the MB-trac is documented in detail in words and moving pictures.
The Unimog exhibition on 200 square meters in the new building is supplemented by a permanent exhibition on automobile manufacturing in Gaggenau from 1894 to the present day – with five vehicles representing this history.
There is also a multimedia guide in German, English and French. You are welcome to download the corresponding app in advance from the Play or Appstore under the keyword “Unimog Museum”. You will be guided through the exhibition with your own smartphone and receive additional information in the form of videos at 15 stations.
However, it’s not just the information that’s on offer, but also the experience. In two cabs – one old and one new – you can get behind the wheel of the Unimog yourself and get a feel for what it was and is like to use a Unimog as a work tool.
Two additional event rooms, which open onto the edge of the forest and thus have their own unique atmosphere, and which are also equipped with the latest event technology, a separate sanitary area in the new hall, which can also be accessed from the outside during outdoor events, an exit sluice and a depot for furniture and exhibits round off the space on offer in the new building.
Construction chronology
Construction of the museum began in April 2021, and the topping-out ceremony was held on November 26, 2021. Interior construction then took another full year. Since the middle of 2021, work on the new design of the entire museum was carried out in parallel at full speed.
Finally, in January 2023, during a one-month closure phase, the old museum was dismantled and thoroughly cleaned with a lot of volunteer support, and the new museum, now twice as large, was set up.
Opening weekend
The festivities will begin on Thursday, January 26, 2023 at 5 p.m. with a celebration for all the craftsmen and volunteers involved in the construction. On Friday, January 27, 2023, a reception will be held at 7 p.m. for all supporters of the construction as well as representatives of politics and business. On January 28 and 29, 2023 , the museum will open its doors to all visitors. The program for the opening weekend will be finalized in early January and published on the homepage.
Did you already know? As a member of the Unimog Club Gaggenau, your “Mercedes-Benz ClubCard” membership card gets you into the Unimog Museum in Gaggenau for free – and into the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. The Stuttgart museum shows the history of trucks from the very beginning – therefore this time in view: the Daimler motorised business vehicle.
The Daimler motorised business vehicle
Increased power: What is the function of the circular component with the hole pattern on the front of the 1899 Daimler motorised business vehicle? The inlets behind the sieve-like plate are the air ducts of a tubular radiator invented by mobility pioneer Wilhelm Maybach. With this innovation, Maybach significantly improved engine cooling and thus the performance of the automobiles built by Daimler. The tubular radiator was first used 125 years ago, in the Phoenix model, and utility model protection was registered on 24 December 1897. December of that same year saw the introduction of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) motorised business vehicles.
Evolution: DMG continued to improve its van models. The exhibit in Legend Room 1: “Pioneers – The invention of the automobile” at the Mercedes-Benz Museum was built in 1899, two years after the premiere of this model family. This motorised business vehicle was designed for a 500-kilogram payload. It is powered by a 4.1 kW (5.6 hp) two-cylinder engine with a displacement of 1,527 cubic centimetres and has a top speed of 16 km/h. By comparison, for the year 1900, the sales list mentions business vehicles with payloads of 800 to 3,200 kilograms and power ranging from 2.9 kW (4 hp) to 5.9 kW (8 hp) with a two-cylinder engine and 4.4 kW (6 hp) to 8.8 kW (12 hp) with a four-cylinder engine.
Innovation platform with the genes of a horse-drawn cart: Compared to the illustration in the first sales advertisement, the vehicle soon changed. In 1897, it was still a delivery van with the engine under the seat and a free-standing steering column. The example at the Museum, dating from 1899, has the engine located above the front axle, protected by a high bonnet. Directly below it is the tubular radiator with the starting crank in its centre. These innovative details stand in contrast to the traditional design features: the driver sat on an open bench with no protection from the weather. It resembles the workplace of a coachman delivering goods with his horse and cart. Nevertheless, the motorised business vehicle clearly represented a departure from the era of the horse-drawn coach: in front of the driver is the vertical steering column with wooden steering wheel. Outside, on the right, is the gear lever in an open shift gate. And the large horn commands attention in traffic.
Power transmission and rubber wheels: The engine power is transmitted to the rear wheels via two chain wheels and two roller chains. This distinguishes the transporter from the pinion-driven DMG trucks that had been built since 1896. The spoked wooden wheels are significantly larger at the rear than at the front, with solid rubber tyres all round. This was a real comfort feature in commercial vehicles at the end of the 19th century, as delivery trucks and lorries often drove on steel-tyred wooden wheels. Daimler charged an extra 350 to 400 marks for these solid rubber wheels in 1897. For vehicles with a payload of more than 1,200 kilograms, DMG advised against using the rubber-shod wheels: “Rubber tyres are not recommended for these larger wagons,” the DMG sales list states.
Five winners: The “business vehicle” was an expert when it came to flexible logistics. This strength still characterises Mercedes-Benz vans today. “Daimler business vehicles are a particular speciality among motorised vehicles,” the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) advertised in 1897. The sales advertisement highlighted the delivery van’s versatility: the loading area can be used with a box body, as a platform or with bench seats (“for excursions and for passenger transport”). The Cannstatt-based company offered five different versions of the motorised business vehicle. The payload was between 500 and 2,000 kilograms. Initially, the vehicles were powered by engines delivering 2.2 kW (3 hp) to 7.4 kW (10 hp).
Mini to maxi: The length (3,400 to 4,600 millimetres), width (1,700 to 1,800 millimetres) and weight (1,000 to 2,500 kilograms) of the motorised business vehicles varied according to payload. This underlined the diversity of this very recently introduced vehicle concept. Only the year before, Benz & Cie. had presented a comparable vehicle in Mannheim and founded the segment with its “delivery van”.
Van-building tradition: The success story of Mercedes-Benz light commercial vehicles stretches from the first vans of 1896 and 1897 to the Sprinter, Vito and Citan. Their antecedents revolutionised flexible and fast logistics with the combustion engine at the end of the 19th century. Today, Mercedes-Benz vans stand for a new era in sustainable and emission-free mobility for goods transport, the manual trades, delivery services and much more. The Mercedes-Benz Museum displays several representatives of this long success story.
Many greetings from the board of the Unimog-Club Gaggenau e.V.
Personnel change at Mercedes-Benz Trucks: Franziska Cusumano (33) will take over the responsiblity for the business unit Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks & Custom Tailored Trucks (CTT) starting December 1st, 2022. She succeeds Ralf Forcher (59) who will retire at the end of the year. In her new role she is in charge of the development, production and sales of the Mercedes-Benz models Unimog, Econic and Zetros in Wörth, as well as the Custom Tailored Trucks business unit in Molsheim, Alsace/France, for individual customer conversions.
Franziska Cusumano joined the Daimler group in 2008 and started in the operations field of the foundry business in Mannheim and South Africa. This was followed by various positions in Research & Development at the Fuso Global Hybrid Center in Japan, Product Management Mercedes-Benz and Plattform Management for Engines and Axles. In 2018, she took on the role as Executive Assistant to the Chairman of Daimler Truck. In addition, she became Chief of Staff and Head of Corporate Office with the spin-off in 2021 responsible for the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board and its committees. Besides her Bachelor’s degree in International Business, Franziska Cusumano holds a Master of Science from the Columbia University, New York, having specialized in transportation & future mobility as well as environment & sustainability.
Karin Rådström, CEO Mercedes-Benz Trucks: “I am happy that Franziska Cusumano will take over the responsibility for Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks. Franziska is a great leader with a broad expertise. I am convinced that with her passion and dedication to deliver the best products and solutions for our customers she will continue to build on the success of Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks and take the business to the next level. I wish her a successful start and all the best in her new role.”
The Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth is celebrating a special anniversary: the Unimog has been produced here for 20 years. After the vehicle had been manufactured at the sister plant in Gaggenau for many years, production of the universal engine-powered machine moved from Gaggenau to the Wörth plant in 2002. As a so-called special truck for particularly challenging tasks, the Unimog has since been produced in the largest plant for Mercedes-Benz trucks with a high proportion of manual assembly, which allows a particularly high degree of flexibility in the processes.
To this day, the Unimog is still associated with the Gaggenau plant, where it was produced for over 50 years. The Unimog-specific portal axles, transmissions and numerous other components are still manufactured in Gaggenau. Today, the Unimog Museum is also located near the former production site. Since the start of production in 1951, over 370,000 Unimogs have rolled off the production lines at the Gaggenau and Wörth plants.
Viel Spaß beim Lesen!
dear regional representatives,
dear Unimog friends,
the last weeks and months have also led to some changes in the club life. Starting with cancelled events and ending with the general trend of digital meetings. Nevertheless, the association work does not rest, so that there are some news in this newsletter again:
Download the newsletter as PDF: News from the board July 2020
MEMBER ADMINISTRATION
Development
Currently our association has 7,371 members. In spite of the Corona crisis we have not suffered a major loss of members and are pleased that, despite the difficult economic situation for many, we can still welcome new members to our association. We have a new member from malaysia. Now we are in 42 countries of the world represented.
INFORMATION FROM THE REGIONAL GROUPS
Since no meetings, regulars’ tables or other events were possible in the recent past, there is unfortunately nothing to report from the regional groups. We hope, however, that everything will slowly get going again in the fourth quarter at the latest, as in the meantime smaller meetings (depending on the federal state) are permitted again.
UCG ANNUAL MEETING 2020
Unfortunately we had to cancel the annual meeting 2020 in Bahrenfleth due to the Corona crisis. In the meantime all registration fees already transferred have been refunded. Since we were able to cancel the production of the badge in time, fortunately no further additional costs have been incurred. We are, however, pleased to be able to hold the event in 2022 from August 27 to 28 in Bahrenfleth and thus make up for it. The annual meeting in Holland (September 10 to 12, 2021) is already scheduled for next year and we hope that the virus will not upset our plans again.
NEWS FROM THE OFFICE
General Meeting
First, the planned general meeting was postponed from May to August. Due to the ongoing Corona crisis we decided to cancel the general meeting completely for this year. We will integrate the only two months of the past year (01.11 – 31.12.2019) at the general meeting next year. A date for this has not yet been fixed. However, you will be informed in time as soon as we know more about this.
25 years membership
Normally we honour our members, who have been loyal to us for 25 years, at the general meeting. Rainer Hildebrandt can then present a certificate as well as a badge of honour to those present directly at the meeting. Since this was unfortunately not possible in the current year, the envelopes were sent by mail. For the decades of loyalty, support and the trust associated with it, we would like to thank all those celebrating an anniversary once again.
Extension of TIS accesses
Last year the new TIS (parts information system) from Mercedes was put into operation (unfortunately only after the initial difficulties were overcome until all login data was sent). Please note that the login data is only valid for 12 months and that an extension for another 12 months must be applied for. This means that in the near future (depending on when you received your access data in 2019), you may receive an error message when logging in via the Club Lounge and calling up TIS (approximate wording: access expires after 12 months, apply for an extension or similar). Please simply follow the system’s instructions to renew your account. Within about five working days, access will be reactivated.
NEWS FROM THE BOARD
Print shop/ Heft`l
The Heft’l 106 was the last copy which was printed by the Scharer company in Kuppenheim. Unfortunately, the company has meanwhile ceased operations. The current issue ‘l 107 is currently on its way to you and was first produced and dispatched by the company Mayer & Söhne from Aichach in Bavaria.
Board meeting
Furthermore, the association’s board of directors uses the virtual way to conduct the board meetings. The next meeting in July will then take place in Kuppenheim for the first time in months. Of course, all distance and hygiene measures will be observed.
CLUB SHOP
Value added tax
The value-added tax in the club shop will be reduced from 19 percent to 16 percent from July 1. You can then benefit directly from the price reductions.
Discount campaign
In addition to the reduced value added tax, we offer a further 20% discount on the following articles, which we purchased on the occasion of our 25th anniversary in 2018:
Boeringer Spezial
UNIMOG MUSEUM
After the Corona forced closure, the museum has been open again for young and old since 17.05.2020. The new exhibition “The Unimog in the mountains” is worth a visit.
DATE PREVIEW
(Under reserve)
- 17.-19.07.2020 Meeting RG Österreich Ost in St. Margarethen
- 05.-06.09.2020 Unimog- und MB-trac Feld Tage Nordhorn
- 19. 20.09.2020 Meeting RG Mittelbaden in Sulzbach/Malsch
- 18.-20.09.2020 Unimog-Meeting Speikboden
- 17.-18.10.2020 Strandspektakel Ijmuiden (Holland)
Keep well! Sincerely,
Your / Your board of directors
+++ Download PDF Newsletter+++
Dear members, dear regional representatives, dear Unimog-friends,
we hope you’re all well. The Corona virus keeps the world in suspense and this time does not pass us by without a trace. Many Unimog events have already had to be cancelled or have been postponed. The regional commissioners’ meeting and the parts market in May have been cancelled without substitution. However, we hope that the new planned date for the meeting of the regional representatives in November can take place as normal. The general meeting has been postponed to August and will (hopefully) take place during the annual meeting in Bahrenfleth.
MEMBER ADMINISTRATION
Membership Development
Our association currently has 7,348 members. With a new member from Denmark we are now represented in 41 countries. We say welcome and hope that soon even more Danish Unimog enthusiasts will join us.
Collection of membership fees
The membership fee was collected at the end of February. Currently 37 membership fees are still outstanding. This relatively low rate is pleasing, since the expenditure w. Return debit notes and manual collection of the contributions is very high. If these are not transferred by the end of May, the respective members will not receive any more booklet’l. The increase in dues has not caused any problems, also because of the transparent information, among other things in Heft’l 105.
INFORMATION FROM THE REGIONAL GROUPS
Since no meetings, regulars’ tables or other events are possible at present, there is unfortunately nothing to report from the regional groups.
UCG ANNUAL MEETING 2020
From 21 to 23.08.2020, the Regional Group of Schleswig-Holstein (around the Regional Commissioner Marten Schröder and his deputy Jana Rudolph) organizes our annual meeting. The event takes place in Bahrenfleth, near Glücksstadt and Itzehoe.
At the moment we are planning this event as usual and will inform you as soon as possible in case of a forced cancellation. You can find the registration form on our homepage as well as in our magazine Heft`l 106. As usual, we will ask for the registration fee in advance. In case of a cancellation of the event from our side you will get back the registration fee. If you have ordered a badge, we will send it and deduct the amount (10,00 Euro or 15,00 Euro) from the refund sum.
Of course we would be happy to see you all again at the annual meeting healthy and happy. After all, we would like to hold our general meeting there, which would normally have taken place in Gaggenau in May. However, we also have a great responsibility towards the health of our members. Therefore, we are waiting to see how things develop and hope for the best.
NEWS FROM THE OFFICE
The UCG on TV: Coffee or tea
On 12.03.2020 the Unimog Club was a guest of the SWR (Südwestrundfunk) in Baden-Baden. The afternoon television programme “Kaffee oder Tee” (coffee or tea) is a service and advice magazine that takes a close look at interesting clubs from time to time. Our first chairman, Rainer Hildebrandt, had accepted the invitation of the station. The magazine’s editor wanted to meet a young, committed member as well as a functionary, which is why Michel Dicke was also present. Our two UCG’ler were available to answer the moderator’s questions about the fascination of the Unimog and our club. Those who did miss the show can watch the episode in the media library of the SWR:
https://www.ardmediathek.de/swr/player/Y3JpZDovL3N3ci5kZS9hZXgvbzEyMTIwMzg/rainer- hildebrandt-und-michel-dicke-unimog-club-gaggenau-e-v
https://youtu.be/3DRxxCaE_gE
NEWS FROM THE BOARD
Print shop
The issue ‘l 106 was the last copy which was printed by the company Scharer from Kuppenheim. Unfortunately, the company has meanwhile ceased operations. The next issue will be produced by a company from Bavaria. We are sure to be able to deliver the same quality. We would like to thank the Scharer company once again for the many years of very good cooperation.
Cash audit
On 14 March 2020 the cash audit for the past, somewhat short association year took place. Only the months of November and December 2019 were audited, but since our association year is also the calendar year from this year on, this short association year was unavoidable. The cash auditors Edgar Rost and Paul Westermann accepted the invitation to the cash audit. Rainer Hildebrandt, Claudio Lazzarini and Beatrice Ehrlich were also present. The documents were inspected, randomly checked and reconciled with the available results of the annual cash flow statement. The cash balances (accounts/cash desk) also listed in the annual cash statement corresponded to the balances on the account statements viewed. The assets of the association were correctly presented and recorded. The vouchers could be allocated, the income and expenses were duly entered in the books and in the correct amount. No objections were raised. This result will also be presented by the auditors at the next general meeting.
Board meeting
The last “normal” board meeting was held in Kuppenheim at the end of January. Since then, online meetings have been held from time to time in small groups. Thanks to “Teams”, an online platform for video conferences, we are all well connected and can discuss board decisions despite the ban on contact.
Truck driver’s license
We also want to pursue the issue of driving licences for young people. All interested parties should contact the office, no matter from which part of the Republic. We collect the demand and then negotiate favourable conditions for participants with possible driving schools in the regions. In general, we must ensure that we generate enough young people in the Unimog community so that the UCG is also equipped for the future.
WORKING GROUPS/STRATEGY
The 3rd update meeting of the individual working group leaders would normally have taken place on 25.04.2020 and had to be postponed to an unknown date.
REVIEW EVENTS
The last event that has not yet fallen victim to the corona crisis was the trade fair in Stuttgart. Werner Vögele, Dennis Dessecker and his team from the Middle Neckar Regional Group were on site to represent our association. The Unimog Museum was also involved. It was a little quieter than in previous years, but this did not detract from the atmosphere on site.
New were the polo shirts, which we procured especially for trade fairs and for which we were financially supported byMercedes-Benz. So the white shirts with yellow ties are now obsolete. We would like to thank all the helpers in the assembly/disassembly and the stand service. Worth mentioning is also the special price, which we were allowed to take home. A partially restored U 2010 by Fabio Ponzi from Italy was exhibited. The right side of the vehicle is in its original condition, the left side was lovingly and perfectly restored.
The Unimog with the award with owner Fabio Ponzi
This exhibit is the craft of Fabio Ponzi, who runs a workshop in Italy and is also a member of our association. If you were at the annual meeting in Somaggia last year, you have certainly discovered this unique object there. Many thanks to Fabio Ponzi for providing the vehicle!
OUTLOOK
- 08.-10.05.2020 Messe Motorworld Classics, Friedrichshafen cancelled
- 15.05.2019 Regionalbeauftragten-Tagung cancelled
- 16.05.2020 Teilemarkt cancelled
- 16.05.2020 Mitgliederversammlung new date see below
- 06.-07.06.2020 Treffen UC Italia cancelled
- 19.-21.06.2020 Technorama Kassel cancelled
- 24.-28.06.2020 Techno Classica Essen
- 07.-09.08.2020 Sommertreffen UVC cancelled
- 21.-24.08.2020 Jahrestreffen in Bahrenfleth (Schleswig-Holstein)
- 22.08.2020, 11 Uhr Mitgliederversammlung in Bahrenfleth (Schlewig-Holstein)
- 05.-06.09.2020 Unimog- und MB-trac Feld Tage Nordhorn
- 18.-20.09.2020 Unimog-Treffen Speikboden
- 17.- 18.10.2020 Strandspektakel Ijmuiden (Holland)
Keep well! Sincerely, Your board
