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eMercedesBenz Feature: The World's First Production Car, The Benz Patent Motor Car Velocipede Of 1894
Karl Benz played a prominent role in promoting the development of the automobile. Some 25 units of the Benz Patent Motor Car of 1886 – the world's first automobile – were built. It goes without saying that Benz knew that a four-wheeled car would have greater cornering stability, however, he found the steering systems used for carriages at the time to be unsuitable for his purposes. He solved the problem – and filed a patent for his double-pivot steering (DRP 73515) in 1893. He installed it in the same year in his four-wheeled Victoria model. However, he had a lighter car in mind. At the World Exposition in Chicago (May 1 – October 31, 1893), Benz finally presented his Velocipede to the public. It was to become the world's first car from large-scale production and at the same time the first small car. Benz produced more than 1,200 units of this car between 1894 and 1902.
Karl Benz had also been engaged in the development of bicycles, called velocipedes at the time. At an early stage, he used this term for his first three-wheelers – probably to distinguish his light automobiles from the heavy motorized carriages. The Velo fulfilled all the criteria its designer had specified. It was light, robust, fast and inexpensive – with its "perfectly refined equipment complete with lanterns", it cost 2,000 marks which, however, was not exactly cheap at the time.
The car's top speed was 20 km/h. It was fitted with a wooden frame with iron reinforcements. It had compact dimensions and was 2.25 meters long – 45 centimeters shorter than the Benz three-wheeler – and it looked rather delicate on its wire-spoke wheels. The first version of 1894 tipped the scales at 280 kilograms – as much as 380 kilograms less than the Victoria. The car featured rigid axles front and rear. The double-pivot steering was operated via a vertical steering column in the center of the car.
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eMercedesBenz Feature: The World's First Production Car, The Benz Patent Motor Car Velocipede Of 1894 | eMercedesBenz - The Unofficial Mercedes-Benz Weblog
The Benz Velo of 1894 was the world's first large-scale production car.
The Benz Velo of 1894 was the world's first large-scale production car.
The Benz Velo became one of the most popular cars in its day and age. The photo shows a model of 1894.
Excursion from Mannheim via Schriesheim to Grossachsen along a scenic road in the Palatinate in 1895. The daughters of Carl Benz, Klara and Thilde, are seated in the first car, a Benz Velo. His son Richard, who was doing military service at the time, can be made out in the second car, a Benz Phaeton. The other passengers are relatives of the Benz family.
Klara Benz at the wheel of a Benz Velo. The Benz Velo, built between 1884 and 1899, was the first motor vehicle produced in series. According to the records, 381 units were produced between 1894 and 1897. The price of a car with removable half-top was 2,200 gold marks.
Benz Velo – shown here is a version of 1895.
Benz "Comfortable" of 1898.
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