0 Comments Karl Benz built the first car in 1885, and since then many thousands of companies have sprung up trying to make a name for themselves. But few have survived and here we take a look at how some of those survivors. Sometimes things are a lot more convoluted than you think though, with some companies claiming two (or even three) first cars…
Mercedes-Benz (1886) This is where it all started – the first company to build a car. Karl Benz built his first car in 1885 and he patented it in January 1886, but the
Mercedes name wouldn t be adopted until 1901. That first car (called the Patent Motorwagen, pictured here) had just three wheels and a 0.75hp 954cc single-cylinder engine, but in 1893 Benz built his first four-wheeler, the Viktoria, powered by a 3hp 1745cc engine.