Episode 2 of 2
Prototype Movement
- When
- Spring 1885
- Where
- Mannheim
In spring 1885, Benz's prototype moved under its own power for the first time, a milestone in the vehicle's development.
Benz began work on his vehicle in 1884, but it was in spring 1885 that he got the prototype moving under its own power for the first time. The machine is identified as Motorwagen Nr. 1 for the year 1885. Initially it would only run for a short distance and was driven only in the factory grounds; over the year its range grew, and in the latter part of 1885 Benz took it out on unfrequented roads and at night.
Sources
- Benz Patent-Motorwagen Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-30
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.