Mercedes-Benz 260 D

Born in Paris to Bavarian parents, the Diesel family relocated to London during the Franco-Prussian war.

Rudolph’s interest in science and engineering was ignited by the city’s museums. Diesel studied engineering in Munich before joining the Sulzer Engine Works in Switzerland in 1880, building refrigeration and steam engines.

A decade later, Diesel published an influential paper called The Theory and Construction of a Rational Heat Engine. He set about developing an engine based on his theory. It differed from the gasoline engine in that fuel is ignited by compression of air in its cylinders, instead of by a spark.

Though flawed, his first engine was 100 per cent more efficient than the steam engines of the day. Once perfected, Diesel’s engine would become the world’s most efficient thermal energy engine.

In the early 1900s, diesel engines were reserved for ships and industrial power. It wasn’t until 1924 that the first diesel trucks were built, and in 1936 the first diesel-powered car rolled off the production line.