“DELAG”-Zeppelin Harbor at Frankfort a.M., 1912.
“DELAG”-Zeppelin Harbor at Baden-Baden, 1910.
The first Maybach motors were produced in 1912 ([Plate 19]), and were 140 and 180 horsepower. They contributed largely to the success of the commercial Zeppelin before the war. In 1915 a 240 horsepower motor was built, and this was the principal motor used on the military and naval Zeppelins. Maybach produced an entirely new motor in 1917. It supplied from 260 to 320 horsepower and is noted as the first supercompression motor. Quickly recognized as the best engine for airplanes, it became the leading German aviation motor until late in 1918 when other motors built on similar principles appeared and were found more adaptable to the planes. Maybach, meanwhile, developed other types ([Plate 20]), principally 160 and 260 horsepower units for heavier-than-air craft.
The following table illustrates the development in types and performance of engines:
Performance of Engines—1892-1918
| Year | Motor | H. P. | Revolutions per minute | Weight Kg. | Unit Weight Kg./H. P. | Fuel Consumption Gr./hp-hr |
| 1892 | Daimler | 11 | 440 | 500 | 45,5 | 500 |
| 1899 | Daimler | 15 | 680 | 385 | 25,7 | 400 |
| 1905 | Daimler | 90 | 1050 | 360 | 4,00 | ... |
| 1907 | Daimler | 100 | 1080 | 400 | 4,00 | 265-240 |
| 1909 | Daimler | 115 | 1100 | 420 | 3,65 | ... |
| 1910 | Daimler | 120 | 1100 | 450 | 3,75 | 225 |
| 1910 | Maybach | 145 | 1100 | 450 | 3,1 | 240 |
| 1913 | Maybach | 180 | 1200 | 462 | 2,56 | 225 |
| 1914 | Maybach | 210 | 1250 | 414 | 1,97 | 225 |
| 1915 | Maybach | 240 | 1400 | 365 | 1,52 | 200 |
| 1917 | Maybach | 260 | 1400 | 400 | 1,54 | 200 |
| 1918 | Maybach | 260 | 1400 | 390 | 1,50 | 200 |