Lot details Registration No: UN-REG Chassis No: Unknown Mot Expiry: None
While, his delicate three-wheeler is generally considered to have undergone its initial road trials in Autumn 1885, Karl Benz did not seek recognition from the patent office for his "vehicle with gas operation" until January 29th 1886. Known thereafter as the Benz 'Patent Motorwagen', it has long been acclaimed worldwide as the first workable motorcar driven by an internal combustion engine. In contrast to many of his peers, Benz was never a fan of the 'horseless carriage' concept. Thus, from the outset he sought to create machines in which there existed a real synergy between chassis and engine. Built around a tubular steel frame, the one-off Patent Motorwagen was powered by a single-cylinder four-stroke engine complete with vertical crankshaft and horizontal flywheel. Reputed to develop some 0.75hp @ 400rpm, it drove the rear wheels via a differential gear and utilised water-cooling, electric ignition and a mechanically operated inlet valve (all features still prevalent in modern car design). Although, swiftly sidelined, the three-wheeler returned to prominence in 1888 when Mrs Benz drove it from Manheim to Pforzheim (a distance of approximately 60km) reputedly becoming the earliest lady driver in the process. A motoring milestone, the Patent Motorwagen was donated to the Deutsches Museum, Germany by its inventor in 1906. Some eighty years on, Bentley Engineering in Yorkshire marked the centenary of Patent DRP37435 by building a limited series of replicas. Beautifully wrought, they were soon in demand among museums and collectors alike. Being one such replica, this particular machine was part of the Donington Collection until recently and is described by the vendor as being in good overall condition.
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