1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen Replica

It is a “Franklin Mint” modern collectible of no intrinsic historical value that stands as homage to the historic and unobtainable real thing

by Miles Collier

When Karl Benz applied for a patent on January 29, 1886, for his “vehicle with gas engine operation,” little did he realize that his invention would change the world. Patent DRP 37435 is regarded as the birth certificate of the automobile. The Benz Patent Motor Car, test drives of which were already carried out in autumn 1885, was the world’s first Automobile.

The first internal combustion engine automobile that performed with any degree of success is generally attributed to German engineer Karl Benz and was a spindly three-wheeler powered by a massive, horizontally-mounted, single-cylinder engine. Displacing 954 cc, it produced a modest .75 hp at a lazy 400 rpm. Although it retained certain features of the horse-drawn carriage, most notably its small front wheel and larger rear wheels, the first Benz was constructed on a lightweight tubular steel frame and used wire spoke wheels rather than a heavy wooden frame and artillery spoke wheels....