|
115 years after the birth of the automobile in 1886, Mercedes-Benz
has begun selling exact replicas of the original Benz Patent Motor
Car.
Over 70 orders for the ready-to-drive “Benz three-wheeler” have been received from collectors and institutions around the world.
The car, which has a top speed of 16 km/h, is available in a handcrafted small series thanks to the dedicated staff at the Mercedes-Benz Classic Centre in Germany.
The sole remaining original car, which Karl Benz personally donated to the Deutsches Museum in Munich in 1906, was used as the template.
The replica is made from contemporary materials and is manufactured in painstaking handcraft – just like the original.
Unlike the original, today’s car uses standard gasoline instead of ligroin, is always ready for use and does not place unreasonable demands on its chauffeur.
The 21st century version of the 1886 car is priced at around $96,000 (excluding duties and transportation costs).
When Karl Benz applied for a patent on January 29, 1886 for his "vehicle with gas engine operation," little did he realise that his invention would change the world.
Patent DRP 37435 is regarded as the birth certificate of the automobile, and the Benz Patent Motor Car became the world's first automobile.
No sooner had the three-wheeler returned from its outing on July 3, 1886 – the first public sortie of a road vehicle to be described by the press – than Benz gave his full attention to further development. His credo was progress, not retrospection.
While a whole range of new models was being developed at Benz & Cie., the Number 1 "Patent Motor Car" languished in the company's rear yard gathering dust.
It was not until its twentieth anniversary that Karl Benz recalled the striking qualities of his first automobile. He had the original vehicle restored in 1906 and subsequently donated it to the Deutsches Museum in Munich.
Just like the original Patent Motor Car, the replica Benz automobile is driven by a water-cooled single-cylinder rear-mounted engine with a displacement of 954 cc. Its power output of 0.75 hp at 400 rpm catapults this vehicle – which thanks to its lightweight steel tube frame and delicate spoked wheels weighs only 265 kg – to a breathtaking 16 km/h.
|
| Technical data: |
| Engine: |
| Fundamental data: |
water-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke engine with large
flywheel, mounted horizontally at the rear. |
| Bore x stroke: |
90 x 150 mm |
| Displacement: |
954 cc |
| Compression ratio: |
1: 2.7 |
| Power output: |
0.75 hp at 400 rpm |
| Design: |
Horizontal single-cylinder engine with horizontal flywheel;
charge exchange via inlet slide controlled by eccentric rod,
and vertical outlet valve controlled by cam disc, rocker arm
and push rod; mixture formation in Benz surface carburetor;
evaporator cooling (Thermosyphon); lubrication via drip oiler
with grease box; high-voltage electric buzzer ignition; engine
is started by rotating the flywheel. |
| Running gear: |
Steel tube frame; front axle on steering fork without springs;
rear suspension on rigid axle with full elliptical spring;
rack and pinion steering, steering crank in middle of vehicle,
no foot brake, hand brake applied to countershaft pulley;
wheels: wire spoke wheels, diameter front 730 mm, rear 1125
mm, solid rubber tires at front and rear. |
| Power transmission: |
1 flat belt from engine to countershaft with idling and
fixed discs and integrated differential, 1 chain from countershaft
to each of the two rear wheels. |
| Transmission/shifting: |
Transfer of belt between idling and fixed discs. |
| Top speed: |
16 km/h |
| Fuel consumption: |
approx. 10 litres/100 km (24 mpg) |
| Dimensions and weight: |
| Wheelbase: |
1450 mm |
| Track width: |
1190 mm |
| Length: |
2700 mm |
| Width: |
1400 mm |
| Height: |
1450 mm |
| Tare weight: |
265 kg |
|
