Vehicle Description
1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen
In 1888 Bertha Benz and her two sons decided to take a 66 mile trip
through the black forest and of various villages to visit her
mother. This sounds like a no news story but remember it is 1888,
and with the help of her husband's recent invention and to show it
works she took it upon herself to set out and do the trip with just
her two boys by her side. This journey was fraught with obstacles
with many stops at apothecaries in little towns to get more fuel
(alcohol based cleaning fluids), and a quick repair by a blacksmith
to put some leather on the wood brakes which were wearing out.
Occasionally both boys had to get out and push on steep hills,
prompting their father to add a lower gear to the invention upon
their return. It was a true spectacle with amazed onlookers lining
the way and is now a historic drive of her original route in
Germany, aptly named the Bertha Benz Memorial Route, and putting
her husband's invention on the map.
For consignment a replica of the 3 delicate wheeled Patent Motor
Wagen by Carl Benz. Built in Vietnam by Trieu Phuoc LTD. in 2012,
this car was sanctioned by Mercedes Benz, and full access was
granted to the original on display in Mannheim Germany. It is a
fully running replica, and all in excellent condition for static
display or press road runs for test drives. A promotional tool.
Essentially a delicate 3 wheel with large spokes carriage built on
a steel tubular frame this replica is fully running and is painted
black with brass and copper accents. A front axle with a steering
fork and rack and pinion steering is guiding this automobile with
its single front wheel. A wood lath open carriage is in excellent
condition with a fine finish and no signs of any wear. Perched on
top of this is a carriage bench which is an overstuffed and
pristine leather in black carriage seat. A yoke style steering
mechanism reaches out for the center seated driver and has a large
vertical handle for easier steering. A long lever is to driver's
left and is to actuate the handbrake.
In back, a water-cooled single cylinder, 4 stroke engine is mounted
horizontally. It features 954cc's and can put out about .75HP with
a top speed of 16 MPH (going downhill!). A flat belt with idling
and fixed discs on each wheel is driven by a chain to a centrally
located countershaft that puts power to both rear wheels. Power for
forward movement is transferred between idling and fixed discs and
allows the car to be stopped without killing the engine. This
engine runs on standard gasoline. Starting is easily accomplished
by turning the large horizontally opposed flywheel in back.
With its fine spoked wheels and solid rubber tires, the ride is
just a bit dicey, although it definitely gets you from point A to
point B, and all in 1886 style! Beautifully delicate and at the
same time rugged and built like a typical Mercedes Benz. Copper and
brass accents give it a "Steampunk" styled look, but it is fully
operational and historically accurate. Fascinating!
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
