Industry Pioneer: Carl Benz

All historical figures related to the automotive industry pass through our section “Industry Pioneer”, taking outstanding steps in it and creating brands that have left an indelible mark over the years.But this time, the protagonist is not only responsible for creating one of The most iconic brands in historybecause it is Benz, but is also responsible for the invention of the gasoline car and its various auto parts. Let’s take a look at its history.

Carl Friedick Michael Benz Born in Germany on November 25, 1844. His father, a motorcycle driver, died of pneumonia when he was two years old, and Benz was cared for by his mother. From an early age, his curiosity led him to start putting things together and then taking them apart. In this way, he began repairing bicycles, a “hobby” that he would maintain throughout his life, even though he was already a prominent figure in the industry, and which would become an essential part of his most famous vehicles.

At 28, he married Bertha Ringer, with whom he had five children and who would become an important part of his success. It all started down the road with the invention of the first internal combustion engine car.The previous step is to assemble it, because although it uses elements that have already been invented, such as wheels, steering wheels or seats, in other cases The invention patent is named after him.Carburetor, water radiator, spark plugs and clutchare some elements of the vehicle we know as invented by Mercedes-Benz.

In 1883 he founded the company with two partners Mercedes-Benz and Rheinland Gas Engine Plant This will be the first step towards the production and sale of gas-fired industrial engines. Two years later, the first test came, using a three-wheeler with a 1-liter single-cylinder engine and less than one horsepower (0.75 HP). This car would be the first step towards his great invention.

first car

In January 1886, Karl Benz received a patent A three-wheeled vehicle powered by a gasoline engine, Something that had never been seen before that moment. Said engine is the same one I tested a few years ago, which is mounted in the rear and drives the rear axle. The car was named “Mercedes-Benz Patent Car”. It is 2.70 meters long, 1.40 meters long and weighs 265 kilograms. Top speed 16 km/h. Steering (moving the front wheel) is via a rack and pinion, which Benz implemented based on his experience repairing bicycles.

Legend has it that the vehicle underwent many failed tests along the way, but ultimately resulted in permanent changes, improvements, and more testing.But the final test also played a great publicity role at the time and was conducted by Bertha Benz

. Karl’s wife came up with the brilliant and risky idea of ​​testing the car with her children, traveling from Mannheim to the city of Pforzheim to visit her mother.

It was a 200km round trip with a few unexpected surprises that Bertha knew how to deal with effectively and gave Karl the push he needed to start marketing.The most striking thing about this story is that Bertha She won’t tell her husband her intentions He completed the trip alone and notified Mercedes after completing the first part.

In 1890, they added an administrative partner and another business partner to start the firm. At the age of three, they started selling the brand’s first four-wheeled vehicle, Mercedes Benz Victoriafollowed by Mercedes Vero, some consider it the “first mass-produced car.” By 1900, Mercedes-Benz produces nearly 600 cars a yearwas one of the brands with the highest output in the world industry at that time.

The birth of Mercedes-Benz

In those years, in addition to Mercedes-Benz, there was another company selling cars in its infancy in Germany.This is caused by Gottlieb DaimlerHe is also a car manufacturer and has been pursuing a career similar to that of Mercedes-Benz.

Due to the deadly economic crisis that affected the world in the 1920s, their companies chose to merge due to the risk of bankruptcy, considering that in 1923 only 26 of the 86 automobile production companies in Europe were still operating in 1931.

The merger of the two companies was a success from the start and the company was born Daimler-Benz AG Already a car brand Benz. The logo is a three-pointed star representing the production of engines for land, water and sea, an idea Daimler proposed to his wife in a letter many years ago. Benz, for his part, remained on the new company’s board of directors until his departure. dieApril 4, 1929 in his 84 years old.