Daimler automobile. Daimler is a German car manufacturer founded in 1890 and making cars under the brand Mercedes. This early automobile has an internal combustion engine at the front, driving a chain for the rear wheels. The car is steered with the lever at top and halted using the brake lever by the driver's seat. Artwork from the ninth volume (first period of 1892) of the French popular science weekly 'La Science Illustree'.