(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Museums 201: Some Nineteenth-Century Automobiles (photo diary) [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-07-27
The history of automobiles begins on July 3, 1886. On this date, the first useable car, developed by German engineer Karl Benz (1844-1929), made its public appearance. In Mannheim, Germany, Benz drove his Motorwagen at a top speed of 10 mph (16 kmh).
As a student, Benz had acquired a love for bicycles, and he had dreamed of designing a horseless carriage. With two acquaintances from a bicycle repair shop, Benz & Cie was founded in 1883 for the purpose of producing industrial machines. He then set out to adapt bicycle technology to create the automobile.
In 1885, Benz created his first automobile, which featured a four-stroke engine he had designed. The engine was placed between the rear wheels and transmitted to the rear axle with roller chains. The Benz Patent Motorwagen was patented in 1886 as an “automobile fueled by gas.” While others had simply motorized an existing carriage, Benz had designed an automobile which is why he was granted a patent and is regarded as the inventor of the automobile.
The first Motorwagen proved difficult to control—it crashed into a wall at a public demonstration. The Model 2, introduced in 1887, had several modifications to overcome these difficulties. In 1888, the Motorwagen became commercially available to the general public. The initial Motorwagen in 1888 had only two gears and was not able to climb hills.
Bertha Benz, without the knowledge of her husband and without permission of the authorities, took off in a Motorwagen in 1888 and made a 106 kilometer (66 miles) trip to visit her mother. She took two of her sons (ages 13 and 15) with her. During this trip she repaired various technical and mechanical problems. She used a long, straight hatpin to clean a fuel pipe and a garter to insulate a wire. After some long downhill slopes, she invented brake lining when she had a shoemaker nail some leather on the brake locks. Her intention, in addition to visiting her mother, was to demonstrate to the public that the automobile could be used for long-distance travel. As a result of this trip, Bertha Benz recommended that a third gear be added to the Motorwagen so that it climb hills.
The 1890s was a time of expos, national and international fairs which would stimulate new inventions, world commerce, and industrial manufacturing. In 1889, the Motorwagen Model 3 was shown at the Paris Expo.
In 1893, Benz’s “horseless carriage” appeared at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago and triggered the beginning of the automobile industry and the public’s fascination with cars.
Automobiles in the nineteenth century was built by hand, sometimes by backyard entrepreneurs and sometimes by carriage manufacturers. In general, the idea was to somehow marry the formerly horse-drawn carriages and wagons to some kind of engine. While Karl Benz made his first Motorwagen using an internal-combustion engine which had been invented by Jean-Joseph-Étienne Lenoir, in the United States automobile innovators in the nineteenth century also trying using steam and electric engines.
Shown below are some of the nineteenth-century automobiles.
1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen (replica)
This vehicle was in the LeMay Family Collections at Marymount in Tacoma, Washington.
This is the first of 100 replicas produced by Daimler Benz in 1985 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first automobile. It is powered by a water-cooled, single-cylinder, rear-mounted engine. The rack-and-pinion steering is operated by a tiller rather than a wheel.
1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen (replica)
This vehicle was in the Montana Auto Museum in Deer Lodge, Montana.
1899 Locomobile Style 2 Steam Car
This car was on display at the Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum in Hood River, Oregon. The name Locomobile came from “locomotive” and “automobile.”
The Locomobile Company of America manufactured affordable small steam cars until 1903.
1899 Baldwin Steamer
This vehicle was in the LeMay Family Collections at Marymount in Tacoma, Washington.
The Baldwin Steamer required about 20 minutes to build up enough pressure to drive the car and then it had to stop about every 20 miles to add water to the boiler. The boiler is located under the front seat.
More automobiles
Museums 201: Early steam cars (photo diary)
Museums 201: Early electric cars (photo diary)
Museums 201: 1910 automobiles (photo diary)
Museums 201: Fords of the Teens
Museums 201: Dodge automobiles, 1916 to 1928 (photo diary)
Museums 201: The Ford Model T Speedster (photo diary)
Museums 201: Packard automobiles of the 1940s (photo diary)
Museums 201: Extinct Cars of the Teens
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/27/2334955/-Museums-201-Some-Nineteenth-Century-Automobiles-photo-diary?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
