Benz Patent-Motorwagen

The Karl Benz Patent-Motorwagen (or motorcaur), biggit in 1885, is widely regarded as the first automobile, that is, a vehicle designed tae be propelled bi a motor.

The vehicle wis awairdit the German patent, nummer 37435, which Benz applee'd for on Januar 29, 1886. Follaein offeecial procedures, the date o the application became the patent date for the invention ance the patent wis granted, which occurred in November o that year.

Benz offeecially unveiled his invention tae the public on Julie 3, 1886 on the Ringstrasse (Ringstraße) in Mannheim, Germany.

Specifications

Efter developin a successfu petrol-pouered twa-stroke piston engine in 1873, Benz focused on developin a motorized vehicle while maintaining a career as a designer an manufacturer o stationary engines an thair associated pairts.

The Benz Patent-Motorwagen wis a three-wheeled automobile wi a rear-mounted engine. The vehicle contained mony new inventions. It wis biggit o steel tubing wi woodwork panels. The steel-spoked wheels an solit rubber tires wur Benz's awn design. Steerin wis bi wey o a toothed rack that pivoted the unsprung front wheel. Fully elliptic springs wur uised at the back alang wi a live axle an chain drive on baith sides. A semple belt seestem served as a single-speed transmission, varyin torque atween an open disc an drive disc.

File:Karl Benz and Bertha Benz gravestone - vdetail3 bronze plaque.JPG

Karl Benz - detail frae gravestone

Workin replica o the 1885 Benz Motorwagen in Frankfurt, 2007

The first Motorwagen uised the Benz 954 cc single-cylinder four-stroke engine. This new engine produced ⅔ hp (½ kW) at 250 rpm in the Patent-Motorwagen, awtho later tests bi the University o Mannheim showed it tae be capable o .9 hp (0.7 kW) at 400 rpm. It wis an extremely licht engine for the time, weighin aboot 100 kg (220 lb). Awtho its open crankcase an drip oiling seestem wad be alien tae a modren mechanic, its uise o a pushrod-operated poppet valve for exhaust wad be quite familiar. A lairge horizontal flywheel stabilized the single-cylinder engine's pouer ootput. An evaporative carburettor wis controlled bi a sleeve valve tae regulate pouer an engine speed.

Benz later biggit mair models o the Motorwagen, model nummer 2 boasting 1.5 hp (1.1 kW), an model nummer 3 wi 2 hp (1.5 kW), allouin the vehicle tae reach a maximum speed o approximately 10 miles per hour (16 km/h). The chassis wis improved in 1887 wi the introduction o widden-spoke wheels, a fuel tank, an a manual leather shae brake on the rear wheels.