The Mercedes-Benz A-Class will become a youngtimer in 2017. It was first presented in its final form in 1996, with deliveries to customers starting in October 1997. However, preparations for the compact class had already begun over a decade earlier. With its revolutionary space and safety concept, the A-Class was to set new standards. However, the high price and initial difficulties prevented greater success. However, with over 1.1 million units of the first generation sold, the compact four-door model fulfilled expectations, at least in part, and turned Mercedes-Benz into a complete automotive supplier. This report looks back at the creation of the A-Class and shows it in almost a hundred pictures as well as in the sales brochure of the time.