Prehistory
- As a rule, the glory of the creator of the car is attributed to one person (who exactly - later), but the development of this invention was carried out many tens, if not hundreds of years.
- Thus, for example, the first drawings of the car belong to Leonardo da Vinci himself. In its design, a spring drive is used, in the Renaissance, in many European countries, such carriages participated in festivals and parades. In 2004, a group of experts from the Museum of Science of Florence managed to restore the car according to Leonardo's drawings, thus proving the correctness of his ideas.
- Russian mechanic I.I. Polzunov was the first to build a steam automatic machine in 1765, and in 1769 a wagon was designed on its basis. Its author was the French inventor Nicola Cunho. The wagon was intended for transportation of artillery, and in size and weight could easily argue with modern trucks. Only water and fuel needed for its movement weighed about a ton. The speed of such a crew did not exceed 4 km/h.
The design of the car was developed by a famous Russian inventor Ivan Kulibin, who used rolling bearings, flywheel, brakes and even a gearbox in his self-rolling wagon.
- The creators of the world's first gasoline engine are Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler. Of course, they did not come up with their engine from scratch, many units and units were developed earlier, and there are about 400 co-authors of the gasoline engine. The first patent for the internal combustion engine belongs to an engineer named Nicholas Augustine Otto - it was registered in 1876.
The first in the world
In 1886, there was a real turning point in the history of the automotive industry. German engineer Carl Benz received the patent #37435 for his invention - a self-propelled crew with a gasoline engine. This year is considered the year of creation of the first car in the world. Interestingly, around the same time, another German inventor, Gottlieb Daimler, also designed the crew with a gasoline engine, and a year earlier patented the first motorcycle and carburettor. However, it was Carl Benz who took over the role of the inventor of the car by chance (and read more below).
Benz's creation was a three-wheeled self-propelled crew, designed for two people and equipped with a four-stroke gasoline engine with water cooling.
On the role of the event in history, or the first motor rally
After obtaining a patent, Carl Benz decided to "bring to light" his creation, riding it through the streets of the town of Mannheim. However, the novelty caused only irritation around, frightening everyone with the noise of the motor. Upset, Carl put his precious invention under a shed, intending to bring it to perfection.
So passed almost two years, and in the early summer morning of 1888, the car was "stolen". That's how Benz remembers it:
"My car was stolen from me! There were three of them, they acted in a coordinated and friendly manner. They were in love with my car just like I was. But they demanded more from him than I did... They wanted to test the stolen car and drive it for 180 kilometres on an uneven road. The company with vagrant tendencies consisted of my wife and both sons.
Could Carl Benz in 1871, during the engagement to an energetic girl Bertha Ringent imagine that in 17 years, the wife would play almost a decisive role in his life? I don't think so.
"The Kidnappers decided to go to their relatives in the small town of Pforzheim. On the way, of course, it was not without adventures - the car was not designed for such long journeys. However, all the excitement paid off with more than enough - the inhabitants of Pforzheim in droves ran to see the amazing "horseless" wagon.
Soon the whole of Germany learned about this case, and the press paid attention not so much to the trip as to the car itself, Benz. From that moment on, the ascent of the car began. So enterprising Bertha played a decisive role in the success of her husband. Many historians seriously believe that it was she who took the automotive industry on the road. Like the first car, Bertha's journey took its rightful place in history - this marathon, which is 180 kilometres long, is considered to be the first rally in history.
Whatever you do, it's all for the best.
In 1893, the world saw a new four-wheeled car equipped with a newly patented kingpin steering system. Double crew with a fully enclosed engine compartment and engine power of about 3 hp. - Benz's favourite creation was named "Victoria", which means "victory".
After the release of this model, the company's business went up the hill, and Carl Benz decided to create a series of crews, adding to the powerful "Victoria" lightweight model "Velo". It was a four-wheeled upgraded version of the first crew, which later became a prototype of the first domestic car designers Yakovlev and Frese. Velo" production began in 1894, and for three years 381 cars were made - thanks to this historians consider Velo to be the first car of serial production.