Contents
Karl Benz
Building and patenting a pioneering practical petrol-powered automobile.
Benz Patent-Motorwagen · Bertha Benz
- Born
- 25 November 1844
- Birthplace
- Mühlburg, Grand Duchy of Baden
- Died
- 4 April 1929
More people
Karl Benz
Karl Benz was a German engineer and automobile pioneer. His purpose-built three-wheeled motor car helped turn the internal-combustion engine into a practical means of personal transport.
Early life
A railway family
His locomotive-driver father died when Benz was young; his mother supported his education.
Engineering training
He studied mechanical engineering at Karlsruhe’s polytechnic before working in manufacturing.
Career
- 1871
First workshop
He opened an engineering workshop in Mannheim with a business partner.
- 1883
Benz & Cie.
He co-founded a company producing engines while developing a motor vehicle.
- 1886
Motor-car patent
He patented his three-wheeled petrol-powered vehicle.
- 1890s
Commercial production
His company expanded into four-wheeled models and became an early major automobile manufacturer.
Companies & projects
Patent-Motorwagen
A vehicle designed around its engine rather than converted from a carriage.
Victoria
A four-wheeled model followed his early three-wheeler.
Velo
A lighter production model helped widen the market for motor cars.
Beyond work
Bertha’s contribution
His wife Bertha financed early work and made the famous 1888 long-distance journey that demonstrated the car’s usefulness.
Later years
He lived in Ladenburg and saw Benz & Cie. merge with Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in 1926.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Photo: Unknown (same photo credited to various stock photo agencies. The copyright is also claimed by the Mercedes-Benz Public Archive ). Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
