"When Karl Benz applied for a patent on January 29th 1886 for his “vehicle with gas engine operation,” little did he realise that his invention would change the world. Patent DRP 37435 is regarded as the birth certificate of the automobile. The Benz Patent Motor car, test drives for which were already carried out in the autumn of 1885, was the world’s first automobile."
–Mercedes-Benz.
The first internal combustion engined automobile that performed with any degree of success is generally attributed to German engineer Carl Benz and was a spindly three-wheeler powered by a massive, horizontally-mounted, single-cylinder engine. Displacing 954cc, the latter produced a modest 0.75hp at a lazy 400rpm. Although it retained certain features of the horse-drawn carriage, most notably its small front wheel and larger rear wheels, the first Benz was constructed on a lightweight tubular steel frame and used wire-spoked wheels rather than the former’s heavy wooden frames and artillery-spoked wheels. Steering was by means of a simple rack and pinion, connected to a tiller at the driver’s end. In an era when horse-drawn transport predominated and even the humble bicycle was a novelty, the impact of the Benz Patent Motorwagen’s first appearance on the streets of Mannheim on July 3rd 1886 can only be imagined.
It was not until 20 years had passed since its debut that Karl Benz realised the true significance of his first automobile. Retrieved from its resting place at the Mannheim works, the original Number 1 ‘Patent Motor Car’ was restored in 1906 and subsequently donated to the Deutsches Museum in Munich.
This faithful replica of the 1886 Benz is one of those manufactured by the Mercedes-Benz Company in Germany in 2002/2003 and distributed via the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center. ‘Mercedes-Benz has recognised, in its struggle with pretenders to the luxury-car throne, it has a royal pedigree on its side. In 1886, the company built what is commonly acknowledged as the world’s first ‘modern’ car, so it’s now offering exact replicas in its showrooms,’ reported Motor Trend. Ordered by the vendor, its sole owner from new, the vehicle has traveled fewer than 25 miles since its delivery in 2003.
