The first true car, Karl Benz's 1886 Patent-Motorwagen, worked like a simplified, motorized carriage. It used a single-cylinder four-stroke engine (a revolutionary design at the time) fueled by ligroin, a petroleum solvent, to power the rear wheels through a simple chain drive and a single-speed transmission. There were no gears for reversing. The core of its operation was the internal combustion engine, where fuel ignites inside a cylinder to push a piston, converting linear motion into rotational force to turn the wheels.
Benz's vehicle was a marvel of simplicity for its time. The engine produced about 0.75 horsepower, which was enough to propel the three-wheeled vehicle to a top speed of around 10 mph (16 km/h). Steering was accomplished with a tiller, not a wheel, and braking was rudimentary, often requiring supplemental help from the driver's feet. The vehicle's debut marked a fundamental shift from horse-drawn transport to self-propelled machines.
| Feature | Specification | Modern Equivalent (for context) |
|---|
| Engine | Single-cylinder, 4-stroke | Typically 3-4 cylinders |
| Displacement | 954 cc | Similar to a large motorcycle |
| Horsepower | 0.75 hp | About 1/100th of a modern sedan |
| Top Speed | ~10 mph (16 km/h) | About 4x slower than city traffic |
| Transmission | Single-speed, no reverse | 6-10 speed automatic with reverse |
| Fuel | Ligroin (petroleum ether) | Refined gasoline |
| Ignition | Ruhmkorff coil (electronic) | Electronic ignition system |
| Frame | Steel tube | Steel unibody |
| Weight | 265 lbs (120 kg) | Lighter than two passengers |
Owning and operating this first car was a hands-on experience. The driver had to manage the fuel supply, ignition timing, and cooling system manually. It was less a consumer product and more a proof-of-concept that demonstrated the practical potential of the internal combustion engine for personal transportation, setting the stage for over a century of automotive innovation.
