The world's first car had a Mercedes-Benz license plate

History of the first automobile.

Edilfar Rent has a thirty-year partnership with Mercedes-Benz, having rented dozens of different models to its customers, starting in 1997 with the marketing of the famous G-Class, and continuing with the exclusive Courtesy Car service for the house of the star (casa della Stella) in Rome and Milan and the expansion into Spain in 2019.
What not everyone knows is that, following a series of events that occurred around the 1900s, it is precisely thanks to individuals closely linked to Mercedes-Benz that we drive cars as we know them today.

It all began in 1876 when Nikolaus August Otto created the legendary four-stroke engine (although the idea had been previously developed by Christian Reithmann after the patent of Barsanti and Matteucci in 1853). Otto unknowingly opened the doors to a new world of motorized transport, laying the groundwork for the era of the automobile.

Seven years later, in 1883, engineer Karl Benz founded Benz & Cie. Rheinische Gasmotorenfabrik. His vision was bold: he wanted to create a self-propelled vehicle for the transport of people, a car that could move without the need for horses, which were then used to pull carriages.

Although other manufacturers, especially in France, had already created motorized vehicles, they were mainly steam-powered, bulky, and inefficient. Benz had a different vision: a light and maneuverable vehicle. Initially, he envisioned a four-wheeled vehicle, but challenges with the front axle led him to consider an advanced solution with a single front tire. Thus, the idea of the motorized tricycle was born, powered by the internal combustion engine developed by Nikolaus Otto.

On January 29, 1886, Karl Benz patented his tricycle at the Patent Office of the German Empire, registering the Patent Motorwagen with the number 37435. What made this vehicle revolutionary was the combination of cutting-edge technical solutions for the time, some of which would be retained, with some improvements, for over a century. This patent was retrospectively the first stone in the history of transportation. This unique vehicle combined a carburetor, a water cooling system, an electric ignition system, a steering system, and even a tubular frame, with an engine that was a horizontal single-cylinder of 577 cc with a power of 3/4 HP at 400 rpm. This small marvel was steam-cooled, with an electric ignition system and a steel tube frame, metal-spoke wheels, and leather brakes. The transmission used belts and chains, and the steering was by rod.

But how do you introduce a revolution to the world? The Patent Motorwagen was not unveiled during a grand automotive event like today's. Instead, on July 3, 1886, Karl Benz traveled a few tens of meters along Mannheim's Ringstraße, attracting mixed looks of astonishment and incredulity from passersby. Since the vehicle did not have a tank, his son Eugen had to follow him on foot, topping up the carburetor each time the fuel ran out. Despite the initial reactions, the car was a sign of the future.

A future that, at least initially, was slow to arrive: not even the attempt to present it at an exhibition achieved the desired results. It was then that Bertha Benz, Karl's wife, devised a bold plan to demonstrate the reliability of the Patent Motorwagen. On August 5, 1888, Bertha "stole" the car from her husband and, with her children, traveled almost 90 km to reach her parents. The news spread quickly across the country, helping to solidify the car's reputation and the concept of the automobile itself.

Karl Benz created several subsequent models, each more perfected. The second model, in 1887, was even more powerful and introduced a two-speed gearbox. The third had a vertical flywheel and offered various engine options. Production of the Patent Motorwagen ended in 1894, making way for the subsequent Mercedes-Benz Velo.

This extraordinary creation was later included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, an indelible testament to Karl Benz's genius and his contribution to the history of transportation. An epic page had been written, paving the way for a world of infinite possibilities and forever transforming the way we move.

Proud to share a piece of history with such an important house, every Mercedes-Benz model is the result of an almost obsessive pursuit of perfection and innovation, chasing those ideals that, at the end of the 19th century, drove Karl Benz to pursue his goal: chasing the future. Come try the Mercedes-Benz models we have in our fleet; we await you in Milan, Modena, and Rome!