The first true modern automobile is credited to Karl Benz, a German engineer who built the Benz Patent-Motorwagen in 1885 and patented it in 1886. This vehicle was powered by an internal combustion engine and is widely regarded as the first practical, marketable automobile designed for everyday use. Benz's wife, Bertha Benz, famously undertook the first long-distance journey in the car in 1888, demonstrating its reliability and practicality
. While earlier self-propelled vehicles existed, such as Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot's steam-powered vehicle in 1769, and electric carriages in the early 1800s, Benz's invention was the first gasoline-powered car with an integrated engine and chassis designed specifically as an automobile, marking the birth of the modern car industry
. In summary:
- Inventor: Karl Benz
- Year: 1885 (built), 1886 (patented)
- Vehicle: Benz Patent-Motorwagen, a three-wheeled car powered by a single-cylinder four-stroke gasoline engine
- Significance: First practical, commercially produced automobile with internal combustion engine
