Mannheim, 1886

Benz Patent Motorwagen
Reconstruction: Museo del Sidecar, Cingoli (Macerata)
Materials: iron tubes and sheets, ash wood, rubber, leather, copper, brass, bronze, vegetable hair, leather, linseed oil, colored pigments, natural glues, mineral oil, beeswax

1886 was a turning point in the history of land mobility, because the age of the precursors came to an end and the age of the pioneers of the automobile began. Karl Benz (1844-1929) invented, patented, built, and advertised his three-wheeled car called Benz Patent Motorwagen, the first modern automobile. It was a carriage propelled by the new and revolutionary internal combustion engine. The 180 km round trip to Pforzheim taken by Bertha, Benz’s wife, with two of their children on August 5, 1888 aroused great publicity. This event was the proof of the great reliability of the new vehicle, powered by a small 580 cm³ single-cylinder engine, which provided a power of 0.75 HP at 400 rpm and the top speed of 10 km/h.

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