Karl Benz: The Father of the Automobile

Karl Benz

Though Henry Ford's name is synonymous with the modern automobile, Ford's real claim to fame comes from his ability to produce an affordable automobile for the general market. The real father and inventor of the automobile was a German engineer by the name of Karl Benz. Though working closely with other engineers of the time period, Benz first acquired a patent for his invention of the internal combustion engine in 1879. From there, Benz developed the very first gasoline-powered automobile which he acquired the patent for in 1886. At the time, developing a method of steering a self-propelled vehicle with four wheels was difficult, so most of Benz's automobiles had three wheels. Because many roads at that time were simply two ruts for wheels on either side of the carriage, this made the ride of the original three-wheeled vehicles quite uncomfortable, if not treacherous for passengers. In order perfect his invention for the wider market, Benz later went into a business with Austrian businessman and car racer Emil Jellinek; who had the nickname "Monsieur Merecedes" in racing circles. The legacies of Benz and Jellinek continue in every Mercedes-Benz to hit the highways and city streets. For more information on the earliest automobiles from Karl Benz, visit this post from 3 Wheelers.com.

Over a 125 years since the patent of Karl Benz’s first automobile, his name lives on in every Mercedes-Benz automobile as being the standard in automotive excellence. An excellent car requires excellent maintenance and repair. For the finest quality European automotive service for Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Mini Cooper autos in the Tulsa area, look no further than Tulsa’s favorite dealer alternative at European Autospecialist.