History of the diesel car Production diesel car history started in 1933 with Citroën's Rosalie, which featured a diesel engine option (the 1,766 cc 11UD engine) in the Familiale (estate or station wagon) model. The Mercedes-Benz 260D and the Hanomag Rekord were introduced in 1936. Immediately after World War II, and throughout the 1950s and 1960s, diesel-powered cars began to gain limited popularity, particularly for commercial applications, such as ambulances, taxis, and station wagons used for delivery work. Most were conventional in design. Mercedes-Benz offered a continuous stream of diesel-powered taxis, beginning in 1949 with their 170D powered by the OM-636 engine. Later, in 1959
Russell Motor Car Company publicity stunts such as races on frozen Lake Ontario between Russell cars and ice-yachts. The Russell Motor Car Company Limited was incorporated separately from C.C.M. in 1911. The company began to experience difficulties with its sleeve valve engines in 1913. A downturn in the high-end market, coupled with the commencement of the First World War in 1914, resulted in Russell selling its automobile production business to the American manufacturer Willys-Overland Motors in 1916. Russell produced munitions during the war, and manufactured automobile parts after the war ended. In 1938, the company changed its name to Russell Industries Limited, as it