The first car in the world: history of creation, inventors and technical details

The automobile became one of the most significant inventions in human history, radically changing transportation, economics, and even culture. But who is at the origins of this revolutionary device? Disputes about who invented the first car in the world, have been going on for more than a century. The officially recognized date of birth of the car is considered 1886when Karl Benz received a patent for his Benz Patent-Motorwagen. However, the history of significant attempts to create a self-propelled carriage includes many more names and experiments - from steam carriages of the 18th century to electric vehicles of the 19th century.

In this article we will examine not only the official version with the Benz patent, but also little-known facts about the car’s predecessors. You'll find out why first gasoline-powered car appeared precisely in Germany, what its technical characteristics looked like, and why many historians believe that the real “grandfather” of modern cars was created 20 years earlier. We will also analyze which inventions were key to the development of the automotive industry and how they influenced our world today.

Spoiler: the answer to the question “who invented the first car” is not as clear as it seems. Ready for more details?

Official version: Karl Benz and his Patent-Motorwagen (1886)

If you ask a search engine "who invented the first car", most sources will point to Carl Benz - a German engineer who January 29, 1886 filed a patent application (DRP No. 37435) for his three-wheeled vehicle. This day is today considered the birthday of the car. His invention Benz Patent-Motorwagen, had the following key features:

• 🔧 Internal combustion engine with a volume of 954 cm³ and a power of 0.75 hp. (0.55 kW)
• ⚙️ Single cylinder design water cooled
• 🚗 Three-wheeled layout (two large rear wheels and one small front)
• ⚡ Electric ignition (innovation for that time)

Interestingly, the first trip on this device took place only in 1888, when Benz’s wife, Bertha Benz, without my husband’s knowledge, drove it 106 km from Mannheim to Pforzheim. This route is reproduced today as historical Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Benz did not immediately believe in the commercial success of his brainchild, but by 1893 it had already been sold 25 copies, and by 1900 his company Benz & Cie. became the largest automobile manufacturer in the world.

However, there is an important nuance here: Benz's patent applied specifically to gasoline car. What if we consider other types of engines?

Alternate History: Steam and Electric Precursors

For a long time before Benz, engineers experimented with steam engines and electric motors. Here are the key milestones of this period:

Year	Inventor	Vehicle type	Features
1769	Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot (France)	Steam tractor Fardier à vapeur	First self-propelled steam vehicle, speed 4 km/h
1801	Richard Trevithick (England)	Steam car Puffing Devil	The first passenger steam car, traveled 15 km in 45 minutes
1832–1839	Robert Anderson (Scotland)	Electric car with non-rechargeable batteries	First electric carriage, but with limited mileage
1870	Siegfried Marcus (Austria)	Gasoline car Marcuswagen	The first car with a gasoline engine (according to some sources)

Particularly interesting is the case with Siegfried Marcus. His machine, created in 1870, had four-stroke gasoline engine (16 years before Benz!) and reached speeds of up to 12 km/h. However, Marcus did not patent his invention, and the car itself was lost. Today, the Vienna Technical Museum houses its reconstruction from 1888–1889, which causes controversy among historians.

⚠️ Attention: Many sources mistakenly attribute Marcus priority in inventing the automobile. In fact, his car was second generation (1888–1889), and the original from 1870 has not survived. Benz's 1886 patent remains the first documented gasoline car.

Steam cars, despite their early popularity (there were even steam taxis in London in the 1860s!), had critical disadvantages: enormous weight, the need to store water and coal, and poor handling. Electric cars, on the other hand, suffered from primitive batteries. The gasoline internal combustion engine turned out to be a compromise combining compactness, travel range and relatively simple design.

Technical details Benz Patent-Motorwagen: how did it work?

Let's take a closer look at the structure of the first production car. Here are its key technical solutions:

• 🔥 Engine: single-cylinder, four-stroke, side-valve. The working volume is 954 cm³, the compression ratio is 2.5:1. The power was only 0.75 hp at 400 rpm!
• 💧 Cooling system: water, with the evaporative principle (without a radiator - the water simply evaporated from the open tank).
• ⚡ Ignition: from a low voltage coil and a breaker with contacts. There were no spark plugs yet - an open discharge was used.
• 🛞 Transmission: two belt drives (separate for each rear wheel) with three speeds. Maximum speed - 16 km/h.
• 🔋 Electrical equipment: Generator to charge the battery (6V) which powers the ignition and lighting (kerosene lanterns were an option).

It's interesting that Patent-Motorwagen there was no steering wheel in the modern sense, no pedals. Management was carried out using lever, which turned the only front wheel. The brakes were only on the rear axle and were operated by a separate lever. Starting the engine required physical effort: it had to be manually spun with a flywheel, and then “catch” the ignition timing.

Open the gasoline supply valve to the carburetor|

Turn the flywheel to start the engine|

Adjust the air supply with the throttle valve|

Move off smoothly by controlling the front wheel lever -->

The fuel tank with a volume of 4.5 liters allowed driving about 50 km at one gas station. In those days, gasoline was sold in pharmacies as a solvent - there were no special gas stations! The price of one copy in 1888 was 600 gold marks (approximately $1500 at the exchange rate of that time or $45 000 in today's money).

Why did Germany become the birthplace of the automobile?

It is no coincidence that the first practical cars appeared in Germany. This was influenced by several factors:

1. Advanced engineering school: Germany in the 19th century was a leader in mechanical engineering, especially in the production of machine tools and engines. Companies like Deutz AG (where he worked Gottlieb Daimler) actively experimented with internal combustion engines.
2. No "red flag law": In Great Britain, since 1865, there was a law obliging mechanical carriages to move at a speed of no more than 6 km/h, and a person with a red flag had to go ahead. There were no such restrictions in Germany.
3. Demand for compact engines: German inventors were looking for solutions for small-sized motors (as opposed to bulky stationary steam engines).
4. Support for industrialists: Benz received funding from local entrepreneurs interested in new technologies.

By the way, in parallel with Benz, another German engineer worked on the car - Gottlieb Daimler. In 1889 he introduced his Daimler Stahlradwagen (the first four-wheeled car with a gasoline engine), and also developed fuel spray carburetor - a key element for future internal combustion engines. Daimler and Benz were competitors, but in 1926 their companies merged to form Daimler-Benz AG, which released the legendary Mercedes-Benz.

Myths and misconceptions about the first car

There are many myths surrounding the history of the first car. Let's look at the most common ones:

⚠️ Attention: There is often a statement on the Internet that Ferdinand Verbiest (Belgian missionary) created the first steam car in China in 1672. In fact, his invention was toy model (60 cm long!) and could not carry passengers.

• ❌ Myth 1: "Henry Ford invented the first automobile."

  ✅ Reality: Ford founded his company only in 1903 and became famous conveyor production (model Ford T, 1908), and not the invention of the automobile.

• ❌ Myth 2: "The first car ran on diesel."

  ✅ Reality: Diesel engine has been patented Rudolf Diesel only in 1893. The first diesel cars appeared in the 1930s.

• ❌ Myth 3: “Electric cars are a modern invention.”

  ✅ Reality: Electric carriages were popular 1890–1910 (e.g. Baker Electric or Detroit Electric). They were supplanted by gasoline cars due to the cheapness of fuel and greater range.

Another common misconception is that Patent-Motorwagen was the first serial by car. In fact, Benz only sold about 25 examples until 1893. Mass production began later: in 1891, the French Emile Levassor released Panhard et Levassor with a Daimler engine, and in 1893 the brothers Duret founded a factory Peugeot, where they assembled 20–30 cars a year.

How the first car changed the world: the consequences of the invention

The advent of the automobile triggered a chain reaction of transformations:

1. Transport revolution: By 1910 the world already had 500,000 cars, and by 1930 - 30 million. Cities began to build paved roads (the first asphalt appeared in the 1870s, but it only became widespread with the advent of cars).
2. Economic boom: The automobile industry has become the engine of the economy. For example, in the United States by the 1920s the auto industry accounted for 10% of all jobs.
3. Social change: The car gave people freedom of movement. Women like Bertha Benz received a new tool of independence. New professions have emerged: drivers, mechanics, gas station attendants.
4. Environmental issues: By the 1920s, the term appeared in Los Angeles "could" (from English smoke + fog) caused by exhaust gases. This got engineers thinking about greener alternatives (leading to the resurgence of electric vehicles in the 21st century).

Fun fact: the first fine for speeding was issued in Great Britain in 1896. Driver Walter Arnold was driving at speed 13 km/h (the limit was 3 km/h!) and was fined 1 shilling. Today his car is Arnold Benz Motor Carriage - exhibited in the museum.

Where can you see the first car today?

If you want to see with your own eyes Benz Patent-Motorwagen, this is where the original copies and their replicas are stored:

Place	What's presented	Address/website
Mercedes-Benz Museum (Stuttgart, Germany)	Original Patent-Motorwagen 1886 (restored)	mercedes-benz.com/museum
Deutsches Museum (Munich, Germany)	1888 replica and other early cars	deutsches-museum.de
Science Museum (London, UK)	Reconstruction Patent-Motorwagen and steam cars	sciencemuseum.org.uk
Henry Ford Museum (Dearborn, USA)	1886 replica and early American cars	thehenryford.org

There are no original copies in Russia, but in Museum of Retro Cars in Moscow (Rozhdestvenka St., 11) replicas of the first cars are presented, including Benz and Daimler models. It is also worth paying attention to Polytechnic Museum, where exhibitions dedicated to the history of transport are periodically held.

Why do Patent-Motorwagen were there three wheels?

The three-wheel design was chosen by Benz because of its ease of control - one front wheel is easier to turn with a lever than two (as in four-wheeled carts). In addition, it reduced weight and simplified the transmission. However, already in 1891 Benz released a four-wheeled model Benz Viktoria>, recognizing the limitations of the three-wheel layout.

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about your first car

🔹 Why is Benz considered the inventor of the car, and not Daimler?

Karl Benz first patented his car (1886) and started it serial production. Daimler, although he developed a more advanced engine, concentrated on engines for boats and airships. His first car (Stahlradwagen) appeared only in 1889.

🔹 How much did the first car cost in terms of modern money?

In 1888 Patent-Motorwagen cost 600 gold marks (~$1500). Taking into account inflation and changes in the value of gold, this is equivalent to approximately $45 000–$50 000 today. For comparison, the average salary of a German worker at that time was about 500 marks per year.

🔹 Did the first car have license plates or licenses?

No, neither one nor the other. First license plates appeared in France in 1893, and driver's license began to be issued in Germany only in 1899. Before this, driving a car required only proof that you were not blind or drunk.

🔹 What fuel did the first car use?

Benz was filling up his Patent-Motorwagen naphtha - a light fraction of oil, close to modern kerosene. Gasoline as we know it today was not mass produced back then. Fuel was bought in pharmacies as a solvent or cleaner.

🔹 Why were the first cars so slow?

Main reasons: low engine power (0.5–3 hp), primitive transmissions (belt drives instead of gearboxes) and no suspension (the wheels were rigidly attached to the frame). For example, Patent-Motorwagen accelerated to 16 km/h, but on rough roads the speed dropped to 10 km/h.