Carl (or Karl) Friedrich Benz was a German engine designer and automotive engineer. He was born Karl Friedrich Michael Vaillant on November 25, 1844, and died on April 4, 1929. His car, the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, made in 1885, is seen as the first practical, modern automobile and the first car to be produced in large numbers. In 1886, he received a patent for the motorcar, the same year he first drove the Benz Patent-Motorwagen in public.

His company, Benz & Cie., located in Mannheim, was the world’s first automobile factory and the largest of its time. In 1926, it combined with Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft to create Daimler-Benz, which later produced the Mercedes-Benz and other car brands.

For his work, Benz is often called "the father of the car" and "the father of the automobile industry."

Early life

Carl Benz was born Karl Friedrich Michael Vaillant on 25 November 1844 in Mühlburg, now a part of Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, which is in modern Germany. His parents were Josephine Vaillant and Johann Georg Benz, a locomotive driver. They married a few months after his birth. According to German law, Carl inherited the name "Benz" because of his parents’ marriage. When he was two years old, his father died of pneumonia, and his name was changed to Karl Friedrich Benz to honor his father.

Despite living in poverty, his mother worked hard to ensure he received a good education. Benz attended school in Karlsruhe and was a very bright student. In 1853, at age nine, he began studying at a scientifically focused Lyceum. After graduating, he studied at Karlsruhe’s technical school under the guidance of Ferdinand Redtenbacher.

Benz originally studied locksmithing but later chose to follow his father’s path in locomotive engineering. On 30 September 1860, at age 15, he passed an entrance exam for mechanical engineering at Karlsruhe’s technical school, which he then attended. Benz graduated on 9 July 1864, at age 19.

After completing his education, Benz spent seven years gaining professional experience at several companies, but he did not find a good fit in any of them. His training began in Karlsruhe with two years of varied work at a mechanical engineering company. He later moved to Mannheim to work as a draftsman and designer at a scales factory. In 1868, he worked at a bridge-building company in Pforzheim called Gebrüder Benckiser Eisenwerke und Maschinenfabrik. He also briefly worked at an iron construction company in Vienna.

Benz's first factory and early inventions (1871–1882)

In 1871, Benz partnered with August Ritter to start the Iron Foundry and Mechanical Workshop in Mannheim, which was later renamed the Factory for Machines for Sheet-metal Working.

The first year of the business was very difficult. Ritter proved to be untrustworthy, and the company’s tools were taken away. This problem was solved when Benz’s fiancée, Bertha Ringer, used her dowry to buy out Ritter’s share of the company.

On July 20, 1872, Benz and Bertha Ringer married. They had five children: Eugen (born 1873), Richard (1874), Clara (1877), Thilde (1882), and Ellen (1890).

Even though the business faced challenges, Benz worked on developing new engines at the factory he and his wife owned. To increase income, he began working on new patents in 1878. His first focus was creating a dependable petrol two-stroke engine. Benz completed this engine on December 31, 1879, and received a patent for it on June 28, 1880.

While designing the production standard for his two-stroke engine, Benz patented several important inventions, including the speed regulation system, battery-powered ignition with sparks, the spark plug, the carburetor, the clutch, the gear shift, and the water radiator.

Benz's Gasmotoren-Fabrik Mannheim (1882–1883)

Problems occurred again when the banks in Mannheim required that the Benz company be formalized because of the high costs of making products. To gain more financial help, Benz had to create a partnership with photographer Emil Bühler and his brother, who sold cheese. The company then became a joint-stock company named Gasmotoren Fabrik Mannheim in 1882.

After the formal agreements were completed, Benz was unhappy because he only received five percent of the company's shares and held a small role as a director. Most troubling, his ideas were not used when planning new products. Because of this, Benz left the company one year later, in 1883.

Benz and Cie. and the Benz Patent-Motorwagen

Carl Benz’s long-time hobby led him to a bicycle repair shop in Mannheim owned by Max Rose and Friedrich Wilhelm Eßlinger. In 1883, the three started a new company that made industrial machines: Benz & Companie Rheinische Gasmotoren-Fabrik, often called Benz & Cie. The company quickly grew to twenty-five workers and soon began making static gas engines.

The company’s success allowed Benz to work on his long-held idea of designing a horseless carriage. Using knowledge he gained from bicycles, he created an automobile. This car had wire wheels (instead of wooden ones used on carriages), with a four-stroke engine he designed between the rear wheels. It included advanced coil ignition and evaporative cooling (instead of a radiator). Power reached the rear axle through two roller chains. Benz completed this invention in 1885 and named it the "Benz Patent-Motorwagen."

The Motorwagen was patented on 29 January 1886 as DRP-37435: "automobile fueled by gas." The 1885 version was hard to control, causing a collision with a wall during a public demonstration. The first successful tests on public roads happened in early summer 1886. Benz first drove the car publicly on 3 July 1886 in Mannheim, reaching a top speed of 16 km/h (10 mph). The next year, Benz created the Motorwagen Model 2, which had several changes. In 1889, the final Model 3 with wooden wheels was introduced and shown at the Paris Expo that year.

Benz began selling the vehicle (advertising it as "Benz Patent-Motorwagen") in late summer 1888, making it the first automobile available for sale. The second customer was Emile Roger, a Parisian bicycle manufacturer who had already built Benz engines under license for years. Roger added Benz automobiles (many made in France) to his product line in Paris, and most were sold there initially.

The early 1888 version of the Motorwagen had only two gears and could not climb hills without help. This problem was fixed after Bertha Benz drove one of the vehicles a long distance and suggested adding a third gear to help climb hills. During this trip, she also invented brake pads.

Bertha Benz's long-distance drive

The world's first long car trip was made by Bertha Benz using a Model 3. On the morning of August 5, 1888, Bertha traveled 104 kilometers (65 miles) from Mannheim to Pforzheim to visit her mother. She took her sons, Eugen and Richard, with her. During the trip, she had to find pharmacies to refuel and fix many technical problems. One of these problems led to the invention of brake lining. After driving down long hills, she asked a shoemaker to attach leather to the brake blocks. Bertha and her sons arrived at night and told Karl about their journey by telegram. Her goal was to show that the Benz Motorwagen could be used for travel and to create publicity through a method now called live marketing. Today, Germany celebrates this event every two years with an antique car rally.

In 2008, the Bertha Benz Memorial Route was officially recognized as part of the world's industrial heritage because it follows the path of Bertha's 1888 journey. The public can now travel 194 kilometers (121 miles) on a marked route from Mannheim through Heidelberg to Pforzheim (Black Forest) and back. The return trip did not go through Heidelberg and took a slightly shorter path, as shown on the maps of the Bertha Benz Memorial Route.

Benz's Model 3 was introduced to the world in the 1889 World's Fair in Paris. About twenty-five Motorwagens were built between 1886 and 1893.

Benz and Cie. expansion

The high demand for static internal combustion engines caused Benz to expand the factory in Mannheim. In 1886, a new building on Waldhofstrasse (used until 1908) was added. Benz & Cie. grew from 50 employees in 1889 to 430 employees in 1899.

By the late 1800s, Benz was the world’s largest automobile company, producing 572 units in 1899. Due to its size, Benz & Cie. became a joint-stock company in 1899 with the addition of Friedrich von Fischer and Julius Ganß to the Board of Management. Ganß worked in the commercialization department, similar to marketing in modern companies.

New directors suggested creating a less expensive car for mass production. From 1893 to 1900, Benz sold the Victoria, a two-passenger automobile with a 2.2 kW (3.0 hp) engine. It reached a top speed of 18 km/h (11 mph) and used a pivotal front axle controlled by a roller-chained tiller. The Victoria sold 85 units in 1893 and was later produced as a four-seater called the "Vis-à-Vis."

Between 1894 and 1902, Benz produced over 1,200 units of the Velocipede, later known as the Benz Velo. The early model had a 1L 1.5-horsepower engine, and later versions had a 3-horsepower engine. The Velo reached a top speed of 19 km/h (12 mph).

The Velo participated in the first automobile race, the 1894 Paris to Rouen, where Émile Roger finished 14th, completing 126 km (78 mi) in 10 hours 1 minute at an average speed of 12.7 km/h (7.9 mph).

In 1895, Benz designed the first truck with an internal combustion engine. He also built the first motor buses for the Netphener bus company.

In 1896, Benz received a patent for the first flat engine, which had horizontally opposed pistons. This design balanced momentum by having pistons reach the top of their stroke at the same time. Many flat engines, especially those with four or fewer cylinders, are called "boxer engines" and are still used by companies like Porsche and Subaru. In motorcycles, BMW Motorrad is famous for using this design.

Although Gottlieb Daimler died in March 1900, there is no evidence Benz and Daimler knew each other or about each other’s work. Competition with Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG) in Stuttgart began to challenge Benz & Cie.’s leadership. In 1900, DMG’s main designer, Wilhelm Maybach, built an engine later used in the Mercedes-35hp of 1902. The engine was named "Daimler-Mercedes" after Emil Jellinek’s daughter. Maybach left DMG in 1907 but designed the model and key changes. The first engine was delivered to Jellinek in December 1900. Jellinek’s racing success encouraged DMG to begin commercial automobile production in 1902.

Benz responded with the Parsifal, introduced in 1903 with a vertical twin engine reaching 60 km/h (37 mph). Without consulting Benz, other directors hired French designers. France had a strong automobile industry based on Maybach’s designs. After difficult discussions, Benz retired from design management in 1903 but remained on the Board of Management until the 1926 merger with DMG. He stayed on the board of the new Daimler-Benz company until his death in 1929.

Benz’s sons, Eugen and Richard, left Benz & Cie. in 1903, but Richard returned in 1904 as a passenger vehicle designer. In 1903, Benz & Cie. sold 3,480 automobiles, remaining the leading automobile manufacturer.

Alongside his role at Benz & Cie., Benz founded C. Benz Söhne, a family-owned company for automobile manufacturing. The brand name used his first initial, "Carl."

In 1909, Benz & Cie. built the Blitzen Benz in Mannheim. The car had a 21.5-liter (1312ci), 150 kW (200 hp) engine. On 9 November 1909, Victor Hémery of France drove it at Brooklands, setting a record of 226.91 km/h (141.00 mph), faster than any plane, train, or automobile at the time. This record stood for ten years. The car was displayed in multiple countries, including the United States, to celebrate its achievements.

Benz Söhne, 1906–1923

Carl Benz, Bertha Benz, and their son, Eugen, moved 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) east of Mannheim to live in Ladenburg. Using only their own money, they started a private company called C. Benz Sons (German: Benz Söhne) in 1906. This company made automobiles and gas engines. Later, gas engines were replaced by petrol engines because people no longer wanted to buy them.

The company did not sell shares to the public. It made its own cars without help from Benz & Cie., another company in Mannheim. Benz Sons cars were high quality and became popular in London as taxis.

In 1912, Carl Benz sold all his shares in Benz Sons. He left the family-owned company in Ladenburg to his sons, Eugen and Richard. However, he stayed as a director of Benz & Cie.

On 25 November 1914, during a birthday celebration in his hometown of Karlsruhe, Carl Benz received an honorary doctorate from Karlsruhe University. This made him Dr. Ing. h. c. Benz.

From the start of automobile production, racing became a way for companies to gain attention. Early cars, like the Benz Velo, were used in races such as the Paris to Rouen race in 1894. Later, companies invested in making racecars. This helped sell more cars because people associated the brand with race winners. One special car built at the time was the Tropfenwagen, a "teardrop" shaped car with an aerodynamic design. It was shown at the 1923 European Grand Prix in Monza.

In 1923, the last year Benz Sons was active, the company built 350 cars. The next year, in 1924, Carl Benz ordered two more 8/25 hp cars made by the company. These were made for his personal use and were never sold. They are still kept today.

Toward Daimler-Benz and the first Mercedes-Benz in 1926

The German economic crisis got worse. In 1923, Benz & Cie. made only 1,382 cars in Mannheim, and DMG made only 1,020 cars in Stuttgart. Because of fast rising prices, the average cost of a car was 25 million marks. Talks between the two companies started again, and in 1924 they signed an "Agreement of Mutual Interest" that lasted until the year 2000. Both companies used the same methods for design, production, buying, selling, and advertising. They sold their car models together but kept their own brand names.

On June 28, 1926, Benz & Cie. and DMG officially joined to form the Daimler-Benz company. All of their cars were named Mercedes-Benz, honoring the most important car model from DMG, the 1902 Mercedes 35 hp, and the Benz name. The name "Mercedes 35 hp" was chosen to honor Mercédès Jellinek, the ten-year-old daughter of Emil Jellinek. Emil Jellinek had set the design for the new car model. He was on DMG's board of management from 1900 to 1909 but left before the merger.

Carl Benz was part of the new Daimler-Benz board of management for the rest of his life. In 1926, a new logo was created. It showed a three-pointed star (symbolizing Daimler's motto: "engines for land, air, and water") surrounded by laurels from the Benz logo. All cars were labeled Mercedes-Benz. From then on, model names followed the brand name in the same way as today.

In 1927, the number of cars sold tripled to 7,918, and a diesel line was introduced for trucks. In 1928, the Mercedes-Benz SSK was introduced.

On April 4, 1929, Carl Benz died at his home in Ladenburg at the age of 84 from bronchial inflammation. Bertha Benz lived in their last home until her death on May 5, 1944. Family members lived there for 30 more years. The home is now a historic site and is used for scientific meetings by the Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz Foundation.

• The Carl Benz monument in Mannheim (2015)
• The Carl Benz monument in Mannheim (2015)
• The Carl Benz monument in Mannheim (2015)
• The Carl Benz monument in Mannheim (2015)
• The Carl Benz monument in Mannheim (2015)
• The Carl Benz monument in Mannheim, in the evening (2015)

Legacy

The Carl-Benz-Gymnasium Ladenburg [ de ] in Ladenburg, where he lived until he passed away, is named after him. The Automuseum Dr. Carl Benz in Ladenburg and the Carl-Benz-Stadion of the football club SV Waldhof Mannheim are also named in his honor.

In 1984, Benz was added to the Automotive Hall of Fame and the European Automotive Hall of Fame. In 2022, he was added to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

In popular culture

In 2011, a television film that tells the story of Carl and Bertha Benz was created. The film is called Carl & Bertha [de]. It first showed on May 11 and was broadcast by Das Erste on May 23. A short preview of the film and a special about how the film was made were shared on YouTube.