Look at it. It’s spindly. It looks like a giant tricycle that someone’s grandfather built in a shed during a fever dream. When you search for a picture of the first car, you usually see a black-and-white image of a three-wheeled contraption with thin, wire-spoke wheels and a tiny tiller for steering. That is the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen.
It didn't have a roof. It didn't have a windshield. It definitely didn't have cup holders. Honestly, by modern standards, it looks terrifyingly flimsy. But this machine changed literally everything about how humans move across the earth.
There's a lot of noise online about what counts as the "first" car. Some people point to steam-powered monsters from the 1700s. Others argue about electric carriages. But the consensus among historians like those at the Smithsonian or the Mercedes-Benz Museum is that the Benz Patent-Motorwagen is the real starting line for the internal combustion age.
Why the Picture of the First Car Usually Shows Only Three Wheels
You might wonder why it doesn't have four wheels. Karl Benz, the guy who designed it, actually struggled with steering. In 1885, steering systems for four-wheeled vehicles were clunky and prone to breaking. So, he just didn't use four wheels. He went with three. He integrated a water-cooled internal combustion engine into the back of a tubular steel chassis.
It was basically a motorized pony trap.
The engine was a one-cylinder four-stroke. It produced roughly 0.75 horsepower. To put that in perspective, a modern lawnmower is significantly more powerful than the world’s first car. You could probably outrun it on a bicycle if you were feeling particularly athletic that day. It peaked at about 10 miles per hour.
The Secret Hero of the Story
Most people look at the picture of the first car and think of Karl Benz. But we really should be talking about Bertha Benz. She was Karl’s wife and business partner. Without her, this machine might have just stayed a weird prototype in a workshop in Mannheim, Germany.
🔗 Read more: The MOAB Explained: What Most People Get Wrong About the Mother of All Bombs
In August 1888, without telling her husband, Bertha took her two teenage sons and drove the Patent-Motorwagen Model No. 3 from Mannheim to Pforzheim. That's about 66 miles. This was the first long-distance internal combustion road trip in history. She wasn't just a passenger; she was the first mechanic. When the fuel line got clogged, she cleaned it with her hatpin. When an ignition wire shorted out, she insulated it with her garter.
She even stopped at a pharmacy in Wiesloch to buy ligroin—a cleaning solvent—because that’s what the car used for fuel. That pharmacy is technically the world’s first gas station. Think about that next time you're buying a stale protein bar at a Chevron.
Variations of the First Car You Might See Online
Sometimes when you search for a picture of the first car, you get results for the Cugnot Steam Wagon. This thing was built in 1769 by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot. It’s a massive, lumbering beast with a giant copper boiler hanging off the front. It was designed to pull heavy artillery for the French army.
It was also incredibly hard to stop. In 1771, it famously crashed into a stone wall. Some people call this the first car accident. But calling it a "car" is a stretch. It was a steam-powered tractor. It moved at a walking pace and had to stop every 15 minutes to build up steam.
Then there’s the 1881 Gustave Trouvé tricycle. This was electric. It’s a fascinating piece of tech, but it didn't spark the global industry the way the Benz did. The internal combustion engine won the 20th century, which is why the Benz Patent-Motorwagen holds the title in most people's minds.
What the Original Image Doesn't Show
You see the black-and-white photo, but you don't see the noise. The Motorwagen was loud. It rattled. It smelled like burnt oil and solvent. It didn't have a gas tank initially; it had a small supply of fuel in the carburetor.
💡 You might also like: What Was Invented By Benjamin Franklin: The Truth About His Weirdest Gadgets
The cooling system was "evaporative." This meant you had to constantly add water because it just steamed off as you drove. It was high-maintenance. It was a hobbyist's toy. But Karl Benz saw it as a replacement for the horse. Most people at the time thought he was crazy. They’d yell "Get a horse!" at him as he puttered by.
The Technical Specs That Changed the World
If you look closely at a high-resolution picture of the first car, you can see the drive chains. It used a belt drive and two side chains to turn the rear wheels. There was no gearbox in the modern sense. No reverse gear. If you wanted to go backward, you got out and pushed.
The engine weighed about 220 pounds. That was actually quite light for the time. Benz’s real genius wasn't just the engine; it was the "package." He designed the engine, the ignition, the cooling, and the chassis to work as a single unit. Before him, people were just trying to slap engines onto existing carriages. Benz built a car.
Misconceptions About the "First" Title
- Henry Ford did NOT invent the car. This is a massive myth, especially in the US. Ford invented the assembly line (well, he perfected it for cars). He made the car affordable with the Model T in 1908. But by the time the Model T arrived, the Benz had been around for over 20 years.
- It wasn't a "death trap" initially. Because it was so slow, the risks were relatively low. However, it had no real brakes. It used a hand lever that pressed a leather pad against a metal surface. Bertha Benz actually suggested adding brake linings (made of leather) after her long-distance trip because the original setup wore down too fast.
- The first car wasn't a "Ford." Again, it’s a German invention. Gottlieb Daimler was also working on a car at the same time as Benz, just a few miles away. They didn't even know each other. Later, their companies merged to become Daimler-Benz (Mercedes-Benz).
Why This Image Still Matters Today
We are currently in a massive transition period. We're moving from internal combustion back to electric, ironically returning to some of the ideas from the 1880s. Looking at a picture of the first car reminds us that every giant industry starts as a shaky, three-wheeled experiment.
When you see that photo, you're seeing the moment human liberty changed. Before this, your travel was limited by how far a horse could walk or where train tracks were laid. The car gave individuals the power to go wherever there was a road.
Actionable Insights for Car History Buffs
If you’re genuinely interested in the roots of automotive technology, don't just look at one grainy photo.
📖 Related: When were iPhones invented and why the answer is actually complicated
- Visit a Replica: There are several high-quality replicas of the 1886 Patent-Motorwagen in museums like the Henry Ford in Michigan or the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. Seeing the scale in person changes your perspective.
- Study the Patent: Look up German Patent No. 37435. It was filed on January 29, 1886. It’s the official "birth certificate" of the automobile.
- Trace the Evolution: Compare the 1886 Benz to the 1901 Mercedes 35 HP. In just 15 years, the car went from a motorized tricycle to something that actually looks like a modern vehicle. That 15-year leap is one of the most intense periods of innovation in human history.
- Research the "Wife's Perspective": Read about Bertha Benz’s journey. It’s a better story than the invention itself. It proves that marketing and "stress testing" are just as important as the engineering.
The picture of the first car isn't just a piece of nostalgia. It’s a reminder that the "impossible" usually just needs a better steering mechanism and a really determined spouse to prove it works.
If you want to understand the future of EVs or self-driving tech, look at that 1886 tricycle. It was just as confusing and "unnecessary" to the people of Mannheim as flying taxis seem to us today. Innovation is always messy at the start. It always has three wheels and no roof.
How to Authenticate What You See
When browsing, check for the vertical engine. Most fake or "inspired" early car photos show engines that look too modern. The real 1886 model had a very distinct horizontal flywheel. It’s that big, flat gold-colored disc you see in the back. If that’s missing, it’s probably a later model or a different inventor's work entirely.
Check the wheels too. They should be thin, like bicycle wheels. By the 1890s, wheels became much thicker and more wooden to handle the increasing weight and speed of newer engines. Those little details tell you if you're looking at the real 1886 breakthrough or just another "horseless carriage" from the turn of the century.
Next time you see that image, remember the ligroin from the pharmacy and the leather brake pads. Technology isn't just about the machine; it's about the people who had the guts to drive it across the country when everyone else was still cleaning up horse manure.