360Karl Benz patents the first practical motor car
On 29 January 1886, the German engineer Karl Benz patented his Motorwagen, a three-wheeled vehicle powered by a petrol engine. It is widely regarded as the first practical car. In 1888, Bertha Benz drove it about 100 kilometres, the first long-distance car journey, proving its value.
Karl Benz, an engineer in Mannheim, Germany, designed a light vehicle built around a single-cylinder, four-stroke petrol engine. It had three wire-spoked wheels, electric ignition and a water-cooled engine.
He received German patent number 37435 on 29 January 1886 for a 'vehicle powered by a gas engine'. The patent is often called the birth certificate of the car.
Sales were slow at first. In August 1888, Benz's wife, Bertha Benz, drove the Motorwagen with her two sons from Mannheim to Pforzheim, about 100 kilometres. On the way she bought fuel from a pharmacy and made repairs herself. The trip attracted publicity and showed the car's practical use.
Around the same time, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach built their own motor vehicles. Their companies later merged as Daimler-Benz. Cars spread worldwide in the 20th century, reshaping cities and daily life.
- 1885
- Benz completes his first Motorwagen
- 29 January 1886
- Patent granted
- August 1888
- Bertha Benz's long-distance drive
- 1926
- Daimler-Benz formed
Sources: Mercedes-Benz Classic · Deutsches Museum · Britannica.