1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen Replica

• First patented vehicle with internal combustion engine

• Advanced combination of small but potent engine, lightweight chassis andpetroleum based fuel

• Historic 130-mile trip by Bertha Benz brought significant publicity to the vehicle

Regarded as the world’s first functional automobile, the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen modernized the way humans transported themselves, making the first step to move away from horse-drawn carriages. The Patent-Motorwagen was introduced years before other reliable automobiles, and in 1888 it became the world’s first production automobile which cost about $4800 in 2022, with 25 built in total between 1886 and1893. This example on display is a high-quality replica of the Patent-Motorwagen, with nearly all the details replicated exactly.

Carl Benz, the partial namesake of later Mercedes-Benz, was a brilliant German engineer who focused much of his career on the early development of internal combustion engines. Benz’ first two-stroke engine ran for the first time on December31st, 1879, and a patent was granted in June of 1880. This engine would later serve as the production standard for two-stroke engines, proving Benz’ ingenuity was years ahead of its time and paving the way to significantly modernize human transportation.

In this period, engineers from different corners of the world were working to develop internal combustion engines powered by steam or gasoline, with goals to mate them with a vehicle for self-propulsion. Carl Benz was far ahead of the curve; he worked in silence for many months to quietly get a patent for his gasoline powered automobile. The Patent-Motorwagen offered numerous inventions, including the steel-spoked wheels and solid rubber tires.

Early versions of the Patent-Motorwagen were difficult to control, and during a public demonstration, one was crashed into a wall! To help prove the Patent-Motorwagen’s usability, Carl Benz’ wife Bertha–without alerting Carl-took a Patent-Motorwagen on a 130-mile roundtrip from Mannheim to Pforzheim to visit her mother, then returned home. Along with her sons Eugen and Richard, Bertha Benz faced many obstacles, most significantly including her struggle to slow the vehicle down on steep downhill grades. At one point during her journey, she ordered a shoemaker to nail strips of leather onto the brake blocks, effectively inventing modern brake pads! She also suggested to her husband that a third forward gear would be useful in climbing steep hills, which was later included in the next version of the Patent-Motorwagen.

During this period, personal transportation meant walking, unless you were wealthy enough to afford a horse, and the bicycle had not yet reached global popularity. The Patent-Motorwagen revolutionized the way people travelled and helped to accelerate the production of other reliable automobiles around the world.

Specifications:

Engine: 58 C.I. One-Cylinder

Horsepower: 2/3 HP @ 250 RPM

Top Speed: 10 MPH