It was not until three years after the end of the First World War that motorsport competition in Germany and other countries returned. Mercedes works drivers Otto Salzer, Max Sailer, Graf Giulio Masetti and Christian Lautenschlager were too strong for the opposition, winning countless European road and hill-climb races in 1921. They raced in optimised and enhanced "Grand Prix 1914" models and Mercedes 28/95 hp cars.
The first supercharged engine took shape in the design offices of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft at the beginning of the 1920s. Gottlieb Daimler's son, Paul, Technical Director and also member of the Board of Management since Wilhelm Maybach's departure from DMG in 1907, sought to drive on this development. Much experience had already been gained in this area – superchargers had already been implemented to boost output in aircraft engines and submarine assemblies.
1.5-litre and 2.0-litre engines became standard sizes after 1922. Paul Daimler developed a new 1.5-litre, four-cylinder engine with supercharger. Its two overhead camshafts were driven by a vertical driveshaft and operated four valves per cylinder.
The 6/40/65 hp model was first used in competition in the Targa Florio endurance race in Sicily. Works driver Paul Scheef started in the 1.5-litre production-class race and finished a respectable third. Driving in the 4.5-litre production-class race at the same event, Max Sailer notched up a first victory for a supercharged vehicle (equipped with a 140 hp engine). Word spread quickly about the enormous potential of the supercharged Mercedes engines and soon other manufacturers switched their allegiances to this promising drive technology.