The Benz Patent-Motorwagen is regarded as the world's first automobile. Though Karl Benz's invention was preceded by "auto-mobiles" powered by steam or electricity, it was the first to be propelled by an internal combustion engine.
The first Benz was a three three-wheeled vehicle with a steel frame in the shape of a horseshoe. Benz applied for a German patent for his invention on January 29, 1886. The car cost him $1,000 to make back in 1886 (approximately $26,000 in today's currency).
The Benz Patent-Motorwagen had a single-cylinder 4-stroke engine that generated 0.55 kW and a top speed of 16 kmph. The car was first driven in public in Mannheim, Germany, on July 3, 1886. Twenty five production-version units of the motor car were sold.
