The birth of the motor car

Patent-Motorwagen Nr.1 Quelle: DaimlerChrysler AG, CC BY-SA 3.0 The birth of the motor car
Jan 29 1886
Patent motor car no. 1 Source: DaimlerChrysler AG, CC BY-SA 3.0

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.

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