These first three motorized vehicles proved that the internal combustion engine was capable of driving a human-controlled road vehicle. Until Daimler’s little engine, motors were huge, heavy, stationary affairs. Daimler’s design proved that an engine could be small, efficient and powerful, and that a motorized riding car could be a compact design, far smaller than huge horse-drawn carriages. As I said, the rest is history.
A year later, Ransom Olds of Lansing, Michigan developed a three-wheeled vehicle that became known as the Oldsmobile. By the turn of the century, 1900, Henry Ford was producing cars, and two brothers named Stanley, in Maine, designed a steam-powered vehicle that became known as the Stanley Steamer. Also, in South Bend, Indiana, The Studebaker Brothers modernized the family’s horse-wagon business by getting rid of the horses and adding a steering wheel and motors.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell all-electric sportscar
A lot has changed in 125 years. Many of those original automotive pioneers went out of business or merged — such as the merger between competitors Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz. What has not change is that the automobile is constantly being re-invented and improved. Besides entirely new car companies with names like Tesla and Fisker, there are entirely new technologies powering our vehicles, such as the hydrogen fuel cell, and the plug-in electric car is back, a century after disappearing.
The original Carl Benz three-wheel motorcar is on display at the German Transportation Museum in Munich, and a copy is on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum, next to company headquarters in Stuttgart.
I definitely loved this info. Maybe you would like to pass by on my post. Keep on going!
Speaking of Pittsburgh (your post re the Fairmont), Pittsburgh’s Frick museum has a spectacular collection of early early cars, plus well-informed docents.
Thanks for the upbeat note, and I welcome your comments.
Evelyn
Hi there, I would like to give you thanks for an informative site about a topic I have had an interest in for some time now.I have been lurking and studying the posts avidly so decided to express my thanks for providing me with some very good reading material. I look forward to more, and taking a more active part in the discussions here, whilst learning too!!
Hello fellow petrolhead,
Thad does not sound gracious of Daimler, although I know they have perhaps one dozen or more copies of the three-wheel design that they ship around the world for special events and vintage shows. I am glad your effort has found a home in a museum, and hope you are enjoying the appreciation museum visitors show.
Cheers,
Evelyn Kanter
hi there,
it is 125 years since the motoring revolution.mr daimler/maybach put all theyr energys/money into it.
125 later i ve remade a 1885 daimler replika.this machine looks and runs identical to the original.
i ve approached mercedes benz australia,took my daimler replika there and demomstradet iit in front of the big brass and suggested to do a simple austalian memorial event for the 125 year occasion.well ,there was not even a free cup of coffee in from big mercedes benz corp. for my efforts.anyway the bike/car is now on display in the australian motor museum in hahndorf south autsralia.where it hopefully finds better reconnigtion thn mercedes benz australia.
regards phil mumenthaler petrolhead