Bertha Benz and the Patent-Motorwagen

The Benz Patent-Motorwagen

The Benz Patent-Motorwagen was built in 1885 by German engineer Carl Benz. In 1886, Benz would become the first man to patent an automobile. The Motorwagen was a motor tricycle with a rear-mounted single-cylinder, producing approximately 0.75 horsepower and reaching a top speed of around 16 km/hour. Its frame was constructed of steel tubing with woodwork panels and the steel-spoked wheels and solid rubber tires were Benz's own design.

Despite its technical innovation, the Motorwagen attracted little commercial interest in its first two years. Carl Benz was widely noted to be a poor marketer, focusing on cutting edge development and creativity rather than market demand. With other feasible transportation options, such as steam cars, the vehicle was not yet seen by the public as a practical means of transportation.

Bertha Benz

While Carl Benz was spotlighted as the godfather of the original practical automobile, it was another Benz who pushed the Motorwagen over the finish line.

Bertha Benz (née Ringer) was a co-investor in the development of the Motorwagen from the outset. She used her personal dowry to help finance her husband Carl's research, providing critical early funding at a time when his work had not yet attracted outside support. But it wasn’t just Bertha’s money that drove the Motorwagen to greatness. It was an adventure of great distance and even greater wit.

The Journey: 5 August 1888

On 5 August 1888, Bertha Benz departed the industrial southwestern city of Mannheim driving the Patent-Motorwagen No. 3 to her mother's home in Pforzheim, her own birthplace.

The one-way distance covered was approximately 106 km, making it the first long-distance automobile journey in history. Prior to this trip, test drives had been limited to very short distances and conducted with mechanical assistance.

The journey took approximately 13 hours and was riddled with mechanical obstacles along the way:

• A blocked fuel pipe threatened the engine but was cleared by Bertha using her hat pin
• A fraying ignition wire was insulated using her garter
• Worn brake blocks were replaced by having a local cobbler nail leather strips onto them, making this the first instance of a leather brake lining
• A village blacksmith helped repair the drive chain

In Wiesloch, Bertha stopped at the local Stadtapotheke (city pharmacy) to make what is widely recognised as the first automobile refuel in history. Benz purchased Ligroin, a petroleum-based cleaning solvent that served as fuel for the Motorwagen's engine. The pharmacy is often described as the world's first filling station.

After several days in Pforzheim, with a successful journey behind her, Bertha drove back to Mannheim, bringing the total round-trip distance to approximately 180-194 km.

Impact and Consequences

The journey had immediate and lasting consequences for Carl Benz's business. The issues encountered and fixes proposed by Bertha directly influenced the design of the next Motorwagen model. Specifically, she recommended the addition of a lower gear for climbing hills, a feature later incorporated into subsequent versions.

The trip attracted significant public and press attention. Shortly after, the Patent-Motorwagen was exhibited at the Munich Kraft-und Arbeits Maschinen Ausstellung (Exhibition of Engines and Machinery) in 1888, where it won a gold medal, and at the 1889 Paris World Exposition. Commercial sales followed.

The company Benz & Cie., based in Mannheim, grew to become the world's largest automobile manufacturer by 1900. According to Mercedes-Benz's own corporate history, the growth of Benz & Cie. to that scale would have been unthinkable without Bertha's journey.

Recognition 

The original patent documents for the Benz Patent-Motorwagen are included in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register, recognised as a record of a pivotal moment in the history of human mobility.

On 25 February 2008, the Bertha Benz Memorial Route was officially designated by German authorities as a route of industrial heritage. The signed route covers 194 km, running from Mannheim via Heidelberg to Pforzheim and back, tracing the path of the 1888 journey.

In 2016, Bertha Benz was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame. She and Carl Benz became the first married couple ever inducted together into the Hall of Fame.

The Replica on Display

The Benz Patent-Motorwagen that was on display during the Qatar Luxury Classic Cars Contest and Exhibition in November 2025 and The Bicycle and The Future of Mobility in 2023 is a faithful reproduction of the 1885-1886 original. Between 1886 and 1893, a total of 25 Patent-Motorwagens were produced. The replica preserves the key mechanical features of the original: the single-cylinder four-stroke engine, steel-tube frame, steel-spoked wheels, rear-wheel chain drive, toothed-rack steering, and the large horizontal flywheel used to stabilise engine output.

Ameni Abida is a Marketing Coordinator at the upcoming Qatar Auto Museum (QAM).