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10 things to know about the world's first car
When Karl Benz built the first Patent-Motorwagen in 1885 (it was patented in 1886) he probably didn't realise quite the extent to which it would transform the world. So without further ado, here are ten things you might not have known about the progenitor of motoring.
It wasn't the first attempt at an automobile
Inventors were trying to put a 'car' on the road as early as the 18th century. However, all were attempts to automate the horse-drawn carriage, and were largely useless; the Patent-Motorwagen was the first automobile designed from the ground up to be powered by an internal combustion engine.
An American nearly got there first
American inventor George Selden was working on a horseless carriage at about the same time as Benz, filing a patent in 1879. Unfortunately it wasn't until 1895 that his patent for a 'safe, simple, and cheap road-locomotive light in weight, easy to control and possessed of sufficient power to overcome any ordinary inclination' was approved.
It took at least 12 years to develop
By 1873 Benz had developed a working two-stroke engine, and thereafter set about creating a useable carriage to put it in. The Patent-Motorwagen was complete by 1885 and officially unveiled to the public in Mannheim, Germany, on 3 July 1886.
It had a 0.9bhp engine
It was claimed that the first Motorwagen developed a heady 0.66bhp from its single-cylinder gas-powered engine. A later test showed that to be a conservative power figure, however - it actually had a mighty 0.9bhp. Let's put that into perspective: one of the cars on sale in the UK with the lowest power outputs today is the cdi version of the Smart Fortwo, with 54bhp, or 5,900 percent more than the Motorwagen!
The original prototype crashed
Difficult to control using a lever linked to the central front wheel, the 1885 prototype was crashed into a wall during a public demonstration. Fortunately camera phones hadn't been invented yet, so there was no hilarious footage to upload to YouTube.
It was rear-wheel drive
Drifting wasn't too easy with a horse and carriage, but the Patent-Motorwagen was the keen power slider's dream. Its engine powered the rear wheels via two chains linked to the back axle, good for some serious sideways action. Its tyres were solid rubber.
Karl Benz's wife stole one and went for a joyride
The story goes that Benz's wife, Bertha, took Motorwagen number three for a lengthy drive in August 1888 without his permission. With her two sons she drove the car 50-60 miles to her mother's house then returned three days later. The Bertha Benz memorial route between Frankfurt and Baden-Baden celebrates that historic journey.
Early versions couldn't climb hills
It was only after Bertha's trip that a second gear was added to the car, at her request; like an Austin Allegro, early versions couldn't handle even the mildest of inclines.
The first customers had to buy fuel from pharmacies
Of course, there was no network of fuel pumps in place when the Motorwagen first hit the cobblestones. Buyers had to fill up with small bottles of gasoline, at the time a substance used as cleaning fluid and available only from chemists.
Around 25 were sold
In a five-year period between 1888 and 1893, Benz sold 25 Patent-Motorwagens to wealthy pioneers. In 1893 the three-wheeler was replaced by an updated version with four wheels - the luxurious Benz Velo.
Mark Nichol
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