Benz, Karl (Friedrich) (1844–1929)

German automobile engineer. He produced the world's first petrol-driven motor vehicle. He built his first model engine in 1878 and the petrol-driven car in 1885.

Benz made his first four-wheeled prototype in 1891 and by 1895 he was building a range of four-wheeled vehicles that were light, strong, inexpensive, and simple to operate. These vehicles ran at speeds of about 24 kph/15 mph. In 1926, the thriving company merged with the German firm of Daimler to form Daimler-Benz.

Benz was born and educated in Karlsruhe, and worked for mechanical and engineering companies before setting up on his own in Mannheim 1871. He produced a two-stroke engine of his own design 1878, and in 1885, the first vehicle successfully propelled by an internal-combustion engine. It achieved a speed of up to 5 kph/3 mph. Benz, who for his invention drew on experimental work by engineers in many different fields, believed that this vehicle would be a completely new system and not simply a carriage with a motor replacing the horse. The engine had a massive fly-wheel and was mounted horizontally in the rear, using electric ignition by coil and battery. The cooling system consisted simply of a cylinder jacket in which the water boiled away, being topped up as necessary. The production model Tri-car appeared 1886–87 and had a 1 kW/1.5 hp single-cylinder engine.