Today in Automotive History
1909 A New Brake
Wilhelm and Karl Maybach formed Luftfahrzeug-Motoren GmbH in Bissingen, Germany, to produce engines for the Zeppelin airships. The Maybach Motoren-Werke, a subsidiary of the aviation company, would produce the luxurious Maybach automobile between 1921and 1941. Wilhelm Maybach designed the internal expanding brake in 1901. The internal brake operated by pressing shoes against the interior of the wheel or drive shaft. Maybach's design remained the model for most braking systems until the disc brake emerged as an alternative in the 1970s.
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