Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft had been in business for nine years when it licensed production in Austria to Eduard Fischer's engineering company, Bierenz Fischer.

Paul Daimler, son of the German company's founder, Gottleib Daimler, became technical director of Austro-Daimler in 1901 and was succeeded by Ferdinand Porsche in 1905.

The Austrian company became financially independent of its German parent soon after and from then onwards it products began to take on a character all of their own.

One of the first in-house Austro-Daimler designs was inspired by Austrian businessman Emile Jellinek, who had commissioned the first Mercedes model from the German Daimler company in 1900.

This was the Maja named, like the Mercedes, after one of Jellinek's daughters.

Powered by a 4.5-litre, four-cylinder, 'T-head' sidevalve engine, the Maja was marketed as an Austro-Daimler from 1909 and continued in production until 1914.

Its success in the 1909 Prince Henry Trial prompted Ferdinand Porsche t...