When 1 car appeared. History of the creation of cars. History of Internal Combustion, Engine - The Heart of the Car

Instructions

The first self-propelled carriages were powered by a steam engine. They were invented in the 18th century. Such carts could carry a small number of people and develop a very low speed, but they were too noisy and produced a lot of smoke.

In Russia, such a development was presented by Ivan Kulibin in 1791. It was a self-propelled carriage with a steam engine, pedals, gearbox and flywheel. This invention had three wheels. But this innovation was not supported by the government, and the invention did not spread.

Thus, realizing that there would be no particular success in the automotive industry with a steam engine, the inventors began to use electricity. The first electric motor was invented in 1828 by a scientist from Hungary.

The first car in the modern sense, that is, powered by gasoline, was a three-wheeled unit of German engineers Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, who invented the internal combustion engine in 1886. Their car not only received well-deserved recognition, but also went into mass production in 1890.

By appearance it resembled the invention of Shamshurenkov and Kulibin, had a 1.7-liter engine and weighed 230 kg. The flywheel, like the engine, was located horizontally. Distinctive feature there was water cooling of the engine, as well as the use of a mechanically actuated intake valve and electric ignition. This took the automotive industry to a new level.

In 1893, the world saw Benz cars, which were distinguished by their availability and simplicity, they were based on the previous design, but were already four-wheeled, however, the technical characteristics remained the same.

The history of the domestic car began in Chicago, at an exhibition in 1893, where Benz was presented. It was there that Evgeniy Aleksandrovich Yakovlev and Pyotr Aleksandrovich Frese met. Together they decided to invent their own prototype of a car with an internal combustion engine. Thus, in 1896, Russian residents saw the first domestic production car. This invention was similar to the Benz car both in characteristics and in appearance, however, it was not a copy of the German unit, but was its own development.

During this time, Daimler continued to improve his inventions. In 1895, he and his partner produced the Daimler, which became his first own car. In 1889, a car capable of reaching 80 km/h was born, and after it the now popular Mercedes brand went into production. From that moment on, even greater development of automotive technologies and innovations in this area began, which continue to be improved to this day.

The history of the car is described in many books in all languages ​​of the world. In each book, the authors report that in such and such a year, in such and such a city, such and such an inventor built the first self-propelled carriage. In search of a name for the new machine, the inventor turned to Latin and Greek - the classical languages ​​of science. In Greek "self" is "autos", and in Latin "mobile" is "mobilis". This is how the newborn car got its name.

French authors see the beginning of the history of the automobile in the steam carriage of the late 18th century, built in Paris; English - in steam stagecoaches that plied the roads of England in the first half of the 19th century; German - in “horseless carriages” with internal combustion engines, which appeared in Germany in the 80s of the 19th century. The most “backward” are the representatives of the “automobile nation” - the Americans. Mentioning only in passing the various European, Chinese, Egyptian predecessors of the car, they describe in detail its development, starting with late XIX century, from the gasoline carts of their compatriots - Hines, Ford, Olds.

Russian historians could begin their story from any stage of automobile development - with Kulibin’s muscle-power scooter, which anticipated the design of the first gasoline cars; from the invention by Polzunov of the first universal engine - a continuous steam engine; from the construction of an engine for liquid fuel at the Okhtenskaya shipyard in St. Petersburg or from the “gasoline cart” of Putilov and Khlobov.

But more often than not, and quite rightly, they begin the history of the car with the very early stage- with the advent of carts driven by the muscles of passengers. Such carts were built in the 16th-18th centuries in Russia and other countries.

Predecessors of the car. What did the car get from them?

Carriages of all kinds gave the automobile wheels with axles, springs, and brakes. Separately turning front wheels were tried on steam stagecoaches, scooters and bicycles. The following were also used:

• differential - a mechanism that allowed the rotation of wheels mounted on the same axis at different speeds;
  chain transmission;
• solid rubber and even air-filled tires.

The articulated control system, originally conceived for horse-drawn and steam-powered carriages, was also adapted to the automobile.

The car received a gearbox from metal-cutting machines.

Even ships contributed to the design of the car: the universal joint, used for a long time to install a compass, moved from ships to the car. Finally, an engine appeared, created first not for a car, but for mining, pumps, and factory power plants.

Among the predecessors of the automobile, we see various machines, including self-propelled carriages: steam stagecoaches, scooters, bicycles. But we don't usually call them cars. A real mass-produced trackless self-propelled carriage, which we now call a car, became possible only as a result of the development of industry capable of producing complex mechanisms in large quantities, and with a light, economical, powerful engine that is always ready for action. Over the past decades, such an engine has undoubtedly been the internal combustion engine. It is not for nothing that millions of cars are equipped with gasoline and diesel engines, and steam and electricity are used as driving force for cars so far only in a few thousand cars. Therefore, the statements of some historians that if Ford had worked on steam cars at one time, then perhaps all cars would now be steam powered, are completely absurd.

Perhaps someday mass-produced cars will move using the energy of splitting atoms or the energy of high-frequency currents transmitted over a distance. Let us not lose sight of these prospects. But the modern car and the car of the near future are inextricably linked with an internal combustion engine running on liquid or gaseous fuel.

The very first cars with steam engines

Ferdinand Verbiest, a member of the Jesuit community in China, built the first steam-powered automobile around 1672 as a toy for the Chinese Emperor. The car was small and could not carry a driver or passenger, but it may have been the first working steam-powered vehicle.

In 1770 and 1771, Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot demonstrated his experimental steam-powered artillery tractor fardier a vapeur(steam cart). Such a car could reach speeds of up to four and a half kilometers per hour on the road, but there was only enough water and steam in it for twelve minutes of movement.

To ensure the machine moved, it was necessary to fill the boiler with water and light a fire under it, since it did not have its own firebox. The engineer carried out the order of the French military, namely the Minister of War Etienne Francois. During testing, several accidents occurred and the project was abandoned. The first car had significant disadvantages - an ineffective braking system, the need for frequent stops to ignite the firebox, and a rapid drop in pressure in the boiler.

Photo. "Cunyo's small cart" - a prototype of a modern car

In 1802, the English inventor Watt presented his version of the car, which reached speeds on a straight road of up to fifteen kilometers per hour. In 1790, the American Nathan Reed presented his model of a steam car. Another American, Oliver Evans, created an amphibious vehicle fourteen years later.

In the nineteenth century, steam-powered vehicles became widespread and were used to transport people. The person driving it was called the driver, and the one who lit the steam boiler was called the driver. It should be noted that cars have been improved many times, but remain very inconvenient to use. The most famous cars of the second half of the nineteenth century were the Reverence and the Mansel. Their speed did not exceed thirty-five kilometers. These cars are called the harbingers of the first real cars.

Rice. The first amphibious vehicle

After the advent of internal combustion engines, enthusiasts and admirers of cars with steam engines continued to use them, making a number of improvements. It was possible to reduce the engine start time to sixty seconds. It is known that until the forties of the twentieth century, Europe and the United States continued to produce buses and trucks with steam engines, which were distinguished by their low noise and smooth operation.

The first cars with an internal combustion engine

E. Lenoir is considered the inventor of the internal combustion engine, who in 1860 first created an engine in which fuel was burned inside the engine cylinder. This invention played vital role in the automotive industry. The first car with such an engine appeared in 1886. Its creator is G. Daimler. A few months later, the world became acquainted with the three-wheeled car of K. Benz. Gradually, new cars began to replace more bulky cars with steam engines. Thus, 1886 is officially recognized as the year of birth of the car.

Rice. E. Lenoir - inventor of the internal combustion engine

Nine years after the invention and registration of a patent for the first car with an internal combustion engine, G. Daimler managed to launch the functional Daimler car into mass production. Karl Benz also did not lag behind and began industrial production of his “brainchild”. Thus began the mass production of cars. In 1892, a car built by G. Ford appeared, but only eleven years later he began mass production.

Photo. The first Daimler production cars

Since 1894, automobile races began to be held, which in turn also influenced the development of the automobile industry. So, at the first races organized, the maximum speed of the car reached twenty-four kilometers, five years later it reached seventy kilometers, and after another five years - one hundred kilometers per hour. Already in 1900, special racing cars began to be produced.

The first car in Russia

The first Russian car appeared in St. Petersburg in 1896. The carriage itself was built by Frese and Co. and resembled a foreign design with some improvements, namely, it was distinguished by the presence of rubber tires and a durable, elegant finish. The engine for the car was built at the St. Petersburg plant of kerosene and gas engines by E. Yakovlev. They tried to make the cost of the car such that a Russian car could compete in price with similar representatives in Europe.

Photo. The first Russian car from Frese and Co.

For the first time, this two-seater carriage with a gasoline engine (the car of Yakovlev and Frese) was presented at an exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod. It is known that on a flat pavement a car could reach speeds of up to twenty versts per hour, while refueling was enough for ten hours of driving.

Photo. Presentation of the first domestic car "Frese and Co." in Nizhny Novgorod

The idea of ​​​​creating the first Russian car arose back in 1893 at the World's Columbian Exposition, where Yakovlev engines and Frese crews were presented. The embodiment of the idea of ​​​​creating a car was presented just three years later at the Nizhny Novgorod exhibition.

The first electric cars

The electric car appeared before the internal combustion engine. The first electric car, in the form of a trolley with an electric motor, was created in 1841.

In 1899, in St. Petersburg, the Russian nobleman and engineer-inventor Ippolit Romanov created the first Russian electric omnibus for 17 passengers. Its general layout was borrowed from English cabs, where the driver was located on high sawhorses behind the passengers. The carriage was two-seater and four-wheeled, the front wheels were larger in diameter than the rear ones. The first electric car used a lead battery of the Bari system, which had 36 cells (voltage columns). It required recharging every 60 versts (~64 kilometers). The total power of the car was 4 horsepower. The design of the crew was borrowed from models of the American company Morris-Salom, which had been producing cars since 1898. The electric car changed its speed in nine gradations from 1.6 to 37.4 km/h. Romanov also developed a scheme of urban routes for these progenitors of modern trolleybuses and received permission to work. However, he could not find the necessary investments, so the business did not develop.

A special record-breaking electric car with a bullet-shaped body, La Jamais Contente, was the first to break the 100-kilometer (62 mph) speed barrier on land on April 29 or May 1, 1899, driven by racer Camille Genazzi. The official speed record was 105.882 km/h. Later, the famous American electric car designer Walter Baker reached a speed of 130 km/h. The record for driving range on a single charge was set by an electric car from Borland Electric, which traveled 103.8 miles (167 km) from Chicago to Milwaukee. The next day (after recharging) the electric car returned to Chicago under its own power. The average speed was 55 km/h.

In every person, new things arouse interest and admiration. And the world's first steam-powered car is no exception. Of course, such a unit can be called a car at a stretch, but it’s something that doesn’t even come off the tongue. We are accustomed to considering such a vehicle as a compact, easy-to-use and to some extent reliable machine.

And such a “self-propelled cart” from the 19th century does not fit this description at all. In addition, these vehicles are mainly mass-produced to provide transportation for a wide range of people. Of course, this cannot be said about the single copies that were produced at that time.
However, time passed, and no changes were visible in the structure of cars. One might think that the evolutionary mechanisms of this sphere of human activity have reached a dead end. However, with the invention of the internal combustion engine, the situation changed radically.

In 1885, the whole world saw the world's first car, Karl Benz. It was a three-wheeled vehicle that looked more like a “bush” invention. It was powered by a gasoline engine. In the same year, Daimler presented to the world a bicycle with a motor, and a year later a “carriage” powered by a motor.

Karl Benz's first car

The first “swallow”

The first person to invent the automobile was Karl Benz. In 1886 the first patented vehicle appeared. It received wide public recognition, which resulted in the industrial production of such machines. This miracle of technical thought was a three-wheeled vehicle with a 1.7-liter engine, which was horizontal.

The attention was drawn to the huge flywheel located at the rear of the car. Control was carried out using a T-shaped steering wheel.

This stage of history takes a significant leap forward because the founder of Benza offered the buyer a ready-made and usable car.

And Daimler was the very first to launch a functionally equipped automobile engine into production.

The advantage of such a car was the use of water cooling. In this case, the flywheel and engine were located horizontally. The crankshaft was open. From the engine, power was transmitted to a simple differential via chains and a belt, and then to the rear wheels.

The main breakthrough in design in such a car is the use of an intake valve, which had a mechanical drive and ignition using electricity. At the initial stage the engine had 985 cc. centimeters of working volume. Still, this was not enough even to accelerate such a machine.

Therefore, in the first cars they added engine power up to 1.7 liters and installed a two-speed gearbox. Over time, the power increased fourfold and amounted to 2.5. To summarize, I would like to say that the speed of the first car was 19 km/h, which was simply amazing for that time.

However, Karl was not satisfied with such indicators, so he began searching for new options for a technical solution. Such persistence of the car's progenitor led to the fact that his brainchild competed in the London-to-Brighton Run racing competition, reaching an average speed of 13 km/h. Mass production of the car began in 1890.

Three years later, Benz comes out with a four-wheeler because three wheels have become simply old-fashioned. However, not taking into account the slowness and primitiveness of such machines, they were simple, easy to maintain and repair, and also served for many years.

After a while, two-cylinder modifications appeared. Nevertheless, the founder of the company basically adhered to the original technical solution for his machines.

Despite this, the four-wheeled Benz continued to be produced until 1901. And although this design was imperfect, as many as 2,300 cars were sold.

1909 was a year of great difficulties for Benz. Therefore, against the will of the head of the company, they assembled a group of engineers from France and designed an improved model of the car. They tried to put it into production, but it failed.

And in 1903, Karl decided to forget about his priorities and offered to the market an improved one with an in-line cylinder arrangement. After the launch of this “hybrid” car, the company’s business gradually began to improve.

The Incomprehensible Henry Ford

Henry Ford is considered a true revolutionary in the production of cars that would be accessible to everyone. Ford had a dream. Ever since he created the bicycle-car hybrid in 1896, his idea has been to create a cheap car.

Of course, he was not the first to invent the “horseless carriage.” However, Ford was able to embody in his cars all the achievements of mankind over several centuries.

Ford's success lay in the discoveries of such famous inventors as: Lenoir, Otto and Maybach.

Daimler cars

Daimler in 1886 tried to create his first model, using a horse-drawn carriage as a power element. And although it had the main parts of a primitive design, the single-cylinder engine was the prototype of modern engines.

Daimler turned out to be a restrained and patient designer, unlike the founder of Benz. He did not rush forward, but made his first functional car, called “Daimler”, only in 1889. This car was put into production in 1895.

Together with him, the company was engaged in the production of its own engines. This policy created the preconditions for the release of new, technically advanced models. Among them are the French Peugeot and Panhard.

In 1889, the first car was born, which reached a speed of 80 km/h, which was enormous at that time. It consisted of a four-cylinder engine with 24 horsepower. It was a bulky, heavy, difficult to control and unsafe vehicle.

Unique "Mercedes"

Therefore, the company's next steps were aimed at reducing the weight and handling of the car. In this regard, it is not surprising that there were people who would like to have such a car in their garage.

As a result, the world saw a model named after Daimler’s daughter, Mercedes. She, leaving the workshops of the plant in 1900, became the prototype modern cars. Therefore, no matter what the first car was considered interesting, it was only from this time that they began to produce something similar to it.

The first car of the Mercedes series, model 1901

After all, the Mercedes model was able to combine such elements as:

• ability to change gears;
• honeycomb radiator;
• ignition using low voltage and magnet;
• low mounted stamped frame;
• a mechanical drive for the intake valves (which was later abandoned).

The total number of such innovations has given Mercedes many advantages, the main one of which is increased reliability and obedience during its operation. They gained particular reliability, and the quality of the entire “unit” was enthusiastically discussed all over the world. Of course, this model was assembled differently from the first car.

The year 1904 is significant with the appearance of the Mercedes-Simplex. It has an excellent four-cylinder engine (5.3 liters) with side valves. Even today it cannot be called old-fashioned.

It is interesting that Daimler and Benz never saw each other, but they constantly competed. Ironically, in 1926, when the inventors were no longer alive, their companies merged to create Daimler-Benz.

The Australians, in turn, prove that the father-inventor of the first car was not Benz or Daimler, but Siegfried Marcus. It was this inventor who built the car, which has recently been taken under protection as a state monument.

The car was manufactured from 1875 to 1889. Exact date it is impossible to determine until the main components of the chassis and engine have been studied. However, Marcus's car is indeed very ancient.

Therefore, no matter who the first inventor of the car was, Marcus, Daimler and Benz were moving in the same direction and this is the main thing. What do you think?

• News
• Workshop

Millennium Race: viewers were hinted at what will happen there

Let us remind you that on October 1, an extreme car show will be held at the Olimpiysky best traditions Hollywood blockbuster. What will it be? The first official video teaser of the upcoming event reveals a little of the intrigue. Source: auto.mail.ru ...

Moscow taxi drivers will be fined using tablets

New scheme must earn by the end of the year. Thanks to the Mobile Inspector complex, which includes a tablet and a mobile printer, the time for registering a violation should be reduced to three minutes, reports the Official Portal of the Mayor and Government of Moscow. MADI inspectors have the right to draw up a report on the taxi driver for the lack of information about tariffs, business cards in the cab...

BMW will surprise the Chinese with unusual new products

The BMW 1 Series sedan will celebrate its world premiere at the upcoming auto show in Guangzhou, China. The fact that the Bavarian “unit” will acquire a sedan body became known back in the summer, when BMW officially announced this. Moreover, the Germans not only added a protruding trunk to the hatchback, but actually developed new model, which is based on...

Lynk CO - a new brand of smart cars

It is assumed that the new brand will be called Lynk & CO, and under it cars will be created that comply with the principle of smart mobility and have zero harmful emissions, reports OmniAuto. At present, little is known about the new brand. The official presentation of Lynk & CO will take place on October 20, 2016...

KamAZ banned employees from swearing on social networks

This became possible thanks to the introduction of netiquette and the adoption of a document called “Temporary procedure for providing information to the media about the activities of KamAZ PJSC,” reports the corporate publication Vesti KamAZ. As Oleg Afanasyev, head of the KamAZ press service, explained, the new document is a revised order for the provision of information to the media, ...

Entrances to courtyards near Moscow will be blocked with barriers

As the Minister of Transport of the Moscow Region Mikhail Oleinik said, the authorities will not allow the courtyards of residential buildings to turn into intercepting parking, m24.ru reports. According to Oleinik, the most problematic areas in terms of parking are located around houses near railway stations or metro. The head of the regional Ministry of Transport sees one of the options for solving the problem...

Moscow: traffic jams return

According to specialists from the Moscow Traffic Management Center (TCO), serious difficulties are expected on all key highways of the city in the last week of August. This is due to a sharp increase in the number of cars in the city. Thus, in 2015, in the first half of August, the increase in the number of cars was 1% (from 3.29 million to 3.31 million) ...

Demand for trucks continues to grow in Russia

In August, the volume of the Russian market of new trucks amounted to 4.7 thousand units. This is immediately 21.1% more than a year earlier! At the same time, analysts from the Autostat agency note that demand for trucks has been growing steadily for the fifth month in a row. True, from January to August, 31.3 thousand cars were sold - 3.4% lower, ...

Volkswagen Polo Cup final - five have a chance

In 2016, the final stage of the Volkswagen Polo Cup will again take place as part of the decisive round of the Russian Rally Cup. This time the season will be dotted by “Cupper Pskov” - a race that starts and finishes right at the walls of the Kremlin ancient city. Moreover, the organizers are preparing a surprise: on Friday, September 30, the athletes...

In the Stavropol region, the use of hand-held radars was again allowed

The head of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate for the Stavropol Territory, Alexey Safonov, spoke about this, RIA Novosti reports. The head of the local State Traffic Inspectorate said that during 1.5 hours of work, 30 speed limit violations were recorded. At the same time, those drivers are identified who exceed the permitted speed by 40 km/h and above. At the same time, Safonov proposed introducing criminal liability...

Warning: Creating default object from empty value in /var/www/www-root/data/www/site/wp-content/themes/avto/functions.php(249) : eval()"d code on line 2
The best cars of 2018-2019 in different classes: Hatchback, SUV, Sports car, Pickup, Crossover, Minivan, Sedan

The best cars of 2018-2019 in different classes: Hatchback, SUV, Sports car, Pickup, Crossover, Minivan, Sedan

Let's look at the latest innovations in the Russian automobile market to determine the best car of 2017. To do this, consider forty-nine models, which are distributed into thirteen classes. So, we offer only the best cars, so it is impossible for a buyer to make a mistake when choosing a new car. Best...

The most stolen car brands in St. Petersburg

Car theft is an age-old confrontation between car owners and thieves. However, as noted in law enforcement agencies, every year the demand for stolen cars changes noticeably. Just 20 years ago, the bulk of thefts were made from products of the domestic automobile industry, and in particular from VAZ. But...

What are reliability ratings used for? Let's be honest with each other, almost every car enthusiast often thinks: the most reliable car is mine, and it doesn’t cause me much trouble with various breakdowns. However, this is simply the subjective opinion of each car owner. When purchasing a car, we...

Which car should a family man choose?

A family car should be safe, roomy and comfortable. In addition, family cars should be easy to use. Types of family cars As a rule, most people associate the concept of “family car” with a 6-7-seater model. Station wagon. This model has 5 doors and 3...

What car Russian production the best In the history of the domestic automotive industry there were many good cars. And it is difficult to choose the best one. Moreover, the criteria by which one or another model is evaluated can be very different. ...

Which cars are the safest?

When deciding to purchase a car, many buyers first of all pay attention to the operational and technical properties cars, its design and other attributes. However, not all of them think about the safety of the future car. Of course, this is sad, because often...

The most purchased cars in 2018-2019 in Russia

How to choose a new car? In addition to taste preferences and technical characteristics future car, a list or rating of the best-selling and most popular cars in Russia in 2016–2017 can help you. If a car is in demand, then it deserves your attention. The obvious fact is that the Russians...

The fastest cars in the world 2018-2019 model year

Fast cars are an example of how car manufacturers are constantly improving the systems of their cars and periodically carrying out developments to create the perfect and fastest vehicle on the road. Many technologies that are developed to create a super-fast car later go into mass production...

Review of pickup trucks - three “bisons”: Ford Ranger, Volkswagen Amarok and Nissan Navara

What people can come up with to experience an unforgettable moment of excitement from driving their car. Today we will introduce you to a test drive of pickup trucks in a simple way, and connecting it with aeronautics. Our goal was to examine the characteristics of models such as the Ford Ranger, ...

• Discussion
• VKontakte

According to the information presented on my website, the very first car in the world was with a steam engine. Of course, this unit can and can be called a car, but for some reason I can’t wrap my head around it. By the concept of a car, I associate a vehicle that is quite compact, easy to use and, to some extent, reliable. All these definitions are clearly not suitable for 19th century cars. In addition, it is necessary to organize serial production of cars so that they are available for use by a wide range of people. What exactly cannot be said about those one-off specimens, well, with the exception of a few. So let's try to find the answer to the question together - who invented the first car?

Daimler and Benz as the founders of the automobile industry.

Time passed, but the cars did not change. We can say that the evolutionary process in this industry has reached a dead end. How the internal combustion engine was invented and appeared before the world in 1885 the very first car- Karl Benz's three-wheeler. The car was quite simple, it was a kind of invention of Kulibin, only it was driven not by muscle power, but by a gasoline engine. Almost at the same time, Gottlieb Daimler invented a motorized bicycle, and a year later a motorized “cart”.

The first car in the world was invented by Karl Benz in 1886. It received public recognition and was put into industrial production. It was a three-wheeled vehicle, with a 1.7 liter engine, which was located horizontally. A large flywheel protruded strongly from the rear side. This vehicle was controlled using a T-shaped steering wheel.

At this point history first car reaches a new level, since Benz was the first to offer customers a ready-made and usable prototype of the modern car, and Daimler was the first to launch a functional car engine.

The peculiarity of this car was that it used a water-cooled engine. Moreover, the engine and flywheel were located horizontally. The crankshaft was open. Through a simple differential, with the help of a belt and chains, the engine drove the rear wheels. The main achievement of conductor thought could be considered the use of a mechanically driven intake valve and electric ignition. Initially, the engine displacement was only 985 cc. see, this is not enough even to accelerate the car. Therefore, the first cars put on sale were equipped with more powerful engines with a displacement of 1.7 liters and a two-speed gearbox. Over the years, the engine power increased 4 times and amounted to 2.5 hp. Thus, the Benz car developed maximum speed 19 km/h, which is not bad for the first car in the world. However, this did not suit Karl Benz, and he continued his search. And soon his brainchild successfully competed in the then famous races London-to-Brighton Run, with an average speed of 13 km/h. Mass production of the car began only in 1890.

Three years later, Benz released the first four-wheeled cars. Based on a three-wheeled design, they seemed too old-fashioned at the time. But, despite their slowness and primitiveness, they were distinguished by their simplicity, accessibility, in terms of maintenance both repair and durability. Later, a two-cylinder modification appeared, but, at the insistence of Benz, the original technical solutions remained largely unchanged.

The pictures show the "Viktoria" model of 1893. Improvements to the four-wheeled "Benz" (1892) continued until 1901. Despite the undemanding design, more than 2,300 of these machines were produced.

In 1909 the company ran into difficulties. Against Benz's will, a group of French engineers had to be assembled to design a more advanced model of the car. They tried to introduce it into production in 1903, but it all ended in failure, which made Karl Benz forget about his ambitions: he proposed a modern four-cylinder in-line engine that met the requirements of the new chassis. After the launch of this new “hybrid” model, the company’s business slowly began to improve.

Gottlieb Daimler's first model of 1886 was an attempt to use a horse-drawn carriage as a power unit. The basic mechanical parts are still very primitive, but the single-cylinder engine is the prototype of modern automobile engines.

Daimler showed himself to be a more restrained and patient designer. Unlike Benz, he did not rush forward. Focusing on stationary engines, he, together with his colleague Wilhelm Maybach, created his first functional car, the Daimler, in 1889 and launched it into production in 1895. Also, at the same time as cars, the company licensed its own engines to lay the foundation for the production of new, never-before-seen models, such as the French Panhard and Peugeot. In 1889, the first car in history capable of reaching speeds of more than 80 km/h appeared. It was powered by a 24 hp four-cylinder engine. and other technical innovations. This car was very heavy, bulky, uncontrollable, and most importantly, unsafe. In connection with this, the company's further policy was aimed at making the car lighter in weight and more manageable. Soon there were many people who wanted to have such a car.

As a result, the now widely known model was born, named after his daughter, Mercedes. It was published at the very end of 1900 and became, according to historians, the prototype of a modern car.

The pictures show the first Mercedes (December 1890) - the prototype of a modern car with a simple body, intended for participation in car racing. Instead, a four-seater “walking” body could be installed. The picture clearly shows the gear shift lever.

Model "Mercedes" 35 hp combined: gear shifting, a honeycomb radiator and low-voltage magnetic ignition - from previous Daimler models - and technical innovations - a low-mounted, lightweight stamped frame and a mechanical drive of the intake valves (although this new product had to be abandoned later). In the coupe, these technical solutions gave birth to a car that was more reliable than its predecessors and was unusually tractable for the driver. Braking systems have become much more reliable, and the quality of the car itself has been talked about all over the world.

At that time, the most interesting thing happened: all Daimler models were renamed “Mersedes”.

The pictures show one of the Daimler models - the Mercedes-Simplex of 1904, which has an excellent 5.3-liter four-cylinder engine with side valves. Even today the model does not look old-fashioned.

Today, a car is a device that is used by the majority of the population of planet Earth every day. Even if someone does not have personal transport, public transport is definitely used by such people.

And there were times when there was not a single car on the planet. Only science fiction writers could think and write about such technical devices in their novels. When did the first car appear on Earth? Who invented the car in its modern sense? Let's try to find answers to the questions asked.

Who and when created the first car?

In fact, as with most human inventions, it is difficult to answer who exactly is the creator of the first car. There were many developments, many scientific minds invented something similar to a car. Developments were carried out in parallel. Some were more enterprising and declared themselves to be the inventor of the car, while others resigned themselves to seizing fame.

And what exactly is a car? Use modern definition? Should self-propelled vehicles powered by a steam engine be taken into account, or should the presence of an internal combustion engine in the device be considered a mandatory feature?

Probably everyone should answer these questions for themselves. Nevertheless, it is worth delving into history and tracing how society came to use cars, at least the very first ones that were put into mass production.

Origins

Leonty Shamshurenkov – this name doesn’t mean anything to anyone. Meanwhile, the peasant Shamshurenkov was one of the first to create a self-propelled vehicle, which many consider to be the prototype of the car.

The self-running stroller reached speeds of up to 15 kilometers per hour and even had a prototype of an odometer - a device that measures mileage.

Of course, the invention of the car could not have happened without the participation of Ivan Kulibin. His 3-wheel scooter drove through the streets of the Russian capital at a speed of 16.2 kilometers per hour. This device already contained elements that are also used in modern cars. For example, gearbox, brake and others.

Engineer Karl Benz, whom many call the inventor of the modern car, made a great contribution to the development of the car.

Steam cars

Now China is a state that is maximizing the growth rate of the automotive industry. Meanwhile, one can put forward a version that it was in China that the first car appeared. If we recognize a car as a device powered by a steam engine.

In 1672, F. Verbiest developed and presented to the Chinese Emperor a toy that was equipped with a steam engine. The device, due to its small size, could not transport the driver and passengers. But this was probably the first prototype of large steam vehicles.

In 1770-1771, the Frenchman Cugno (Cugno) developed a steam tractor for artillery guns. But the country’s authorities at that time considered the development of the project unpromising. Cugno's project was not developed.

At the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries in England, many engineers were actively involved in the issue of self-propelled steam engines. On existing vehicles, they improved the transmission, steering, and tried to solve many other problems that arose during operation.

But development stopped, as in France, thanks to the country's leadership. It was legally prohibited to drive such cars “on public roads.” In front of the self-propelled vehicle there had to be a person with a red flag, which the person had to wave and also blow on a trumpet.

Who, including engineers, would agree to work in such a “circus”?

Here again it is worth mentioning Kulibin, who was unable to achieve government support for his three-wheeled invention.

Only in the free States did they see the potential in the invention of the local “Kulibin” - Oliver Evans. In 1789, he received a patent for his invention and began improving his self-propelled transport. It is worth noting that Evans’ car was an “amphibious” - it could move both on land and on water.

Electric cars

The 19th century became the century of electric cars. The pioneer in this area was the Hungarian Anjos. He invented a small model of an apparatus that moved using electrical energy. A blacksmith from Vermont named Davenport also worked on “models.” And the Scot Anderson used electricity in his full-size self-propelled carriage using non-rechargeable galvanic cells.

Scottish Anderson Electric Car

Cars with internal combustion engines

Early attempts to manufacture internal combustion engines were unsuccessful because suitable fuel was not available. Many inventors have experimented with various types fuel. It was only in 1870 that the Austro-Hungarian Marcus tested a gasoline engine on his cart. Later, Marcus invented the ignition system, as well as the carburetor.

As already noted, various inventors carried out their developments in parallel. So Karl Benz in 1885 designed his first car with a gasoline engine and patented it. And in 1888, his wife, Bertha Benz, carried out the first intercity train from Mannheim to Pforsheim.

In 1889, Daimler and Maybach designed their first car. It is noteworthy that they positioned their device precisely as a car, and not as a horseless carriage.

Some time later, Lanchester created his first gasoline car in Birmingham, England.

First mass production

In 1888, Karl Benz organized the first mass production of cars. In just under a quarter of a century, the planet was covered by an automobile boom. It seems that all the designers were actively working to prepare for the release of the car. But Benz got there first.

Considering the fact that this designer made one of the greatest contributions to the automotive industry, it would be fair to award him the palm and the title of “designer of the first car in the world.”

Benz's first car - the model has not survived to this day

The car was three-wheeled, had a 1.7-liter engine, and was controlled by a T-shaped steering wheel. Not ideal, of course, but for a “first pancake” it’s very good. Not lumpy..