The birth of the motor car

Carl Benz patents the automobile 1

Several inventors in different countries were all working on the development of motorized vehicles in the 1880s. In 1885, the Mannheim engineer Carl Benz built a three-wheeled automobile driven by a four-stroke engine. Patented as the “Benz Patent Motor Car No. 1” on 29 January 1886, it was the world’s first practical passenger motor car. Although the prototype needed a number of improvements to become viable and many years to convince the sceptical public, the motor car became a common sight on European roads by the close of the 19th century.