So, 211 years ago, on December 24, 1801, the English inventor Richard Trevithick made a trip on his steam stagecoach - the first land-based self-propelled vehicle in history.

Sketch of a steam omnibus designed by Trevithick, model 1803. The steam engine towered on huge wheels with a diameter of 8 feet (2438 mm). The inventor himself, also rather big (6 feet 2 inches), could not reach the top of the wheel with his hand. In those years, no one was surprised by large diameter wheels - it was a way to reduce rolling resistance and the load on roads with less than perfect surfaces. In addition, it was convenient to push the carriage or stagecoach out of the mud by the spokes, which the passengers themselves did

It was in Cornwall, on the southernmost tip of England, in the land of the ancient Celts. At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, with the expansion of the industrial revolution, dozens of mines dug into the Celtic soil. The steam engine was the hallmark of the industrial revolution. With the help of steam, water was mainly pumped out of the mines. However, they thought about where else to attach the engine. “Soon a basket of coal will replace a sack of oats,” the Irish Bishop Berkeley predicted back in 1740.

Richard Trevithick got his start in steam engines by helping his father, a mining engineer, maintain mine machinery. According to numerous testimonies of contemporaries, Richard did not at all show a particular craving for science and the perseverance necessary to perform calculations. At Camburn High School, he was more interested in ball games than math. Richard was called "the Camburg thug" because he was of considerable height and possessed remarkable strength. Physical strength was also highly valued in the mine, especially when the mechanisms broke down and needed to be repaired.

Engineer Richard Trevithick (04/13/1771 - 04/22/1833). From a portrait by John Linnell

Richard learned to understand the structure of steam engines. And so, on Christmas Eve, he gathered his friends - that was still a company - and invited the most desperate of them to ride on a self-propelled cart, which he secretly built in a barn all year. The carriage was driven by a cousin, Andrew Vivien. Everyone liked it, there was a drink, and the barn, along with the steam engine, was burned down. Christmas was merrily celebrated.
It is no coincidence that Trevithick revealed to the world his self-propelled offspring, nicknamed the "Burning Devil". Patent law, introduced in Great Britain and very jealously protected by British law, until 1800 did not allow anyone to build self-propelled carriages with a steam power plant. The patent was owned by the notorious James Watt, the inventor of one of the most productive steam engines. Watt patented the steam wagon in 1768, but did not build one, fearing the high pressure of steam in much the same way that hydrogen in the tanks of fuel cell cars is feared today.

Due to unfortunate proportions (length - 4905 mm, width - 2184 mm, height - 3454 mm), Trevithick's steam engine had low stability. Twin wheels were first installed in front. However, due to the difficulty in turning the 1.9-ton colossus with the help of a tiller leash, they were replaced with a single wheel. Stability has worsened.
In view of the complete vagueness of the commercial prospects for self-propelled steam carriages, no one began to buy the rights from Watt. But now Watt's privilege expired, and Trevithick was the first to not only build a workable wagon, but also intercepted the patent baton.

Unfortunately, the image of Trevithick's first self-propelled cart has not been preserved. However, historians were more fortunate with the second machine, since its drawings remained, which today even allow us to build a workable replica to the delight of all steampunk fans.

Replica of Trevithick's wagon, built by Englishman Thomas Brogden. Equipped with a two-cylinder horizontal steam engine with a working volume of 11.7 liters, developing a power of 3 hp. at 50 rpm. The crew is equipped with guaranteed protection against "hares", since access to the cabin is possible only through the door behind the driver. Photo by Alexander Strakhov-Baranov

A feature of the Trevithick self-propelled gun was not only its passenger purpose (the famous Cugno cart was intended to transport artillery pieces), but first of all, a high-pressure steam engine (by the standards of those years). A piston with a diameter of 140 mm made a stroke of 762 mm under the influence of steam, compressed - scary to think - to two atmospheres (normal pressure in the tires of a modern golf-class car). But in those years, to develop such pressure was considered a real achievement.

The drive from the steam engine was carried out by means of gearing on each of the wheels, and it was possible to use both drives or each separately.

Already in July 1803, Trevithick took his car on a regular route from London, from Gray's Inn Lane, to Paddington and back, via Lord's Cricket Groud and Islington. The supply of coal and water was enough for 15 km of travel, and the wagon could accelerate to 13 km / h - much faster than any horse-drawn omnibus. The car was serviced by two, the driver and the fireman, in French chauffeur. Now the driver is called a driver, which at the beginning of the 19th century would have sounded insulting - the driver had a clean and responsible job, for which they paid more.

Trevithick steam locomotive on a Polish postage stamp

However, once, having developed full speed, Trevithick's steam engine fell on its side with all nine passengers - the high center of gravity affected. This was the end of transportation. However, Trevithick switched to locomotives (to show one of them, nicknamed "Catch me if you can," he even erected something like an arena with a ring track).

Trevithick became the father of the steam locomotive. Like this undertaking, the idea of ​​transporting passengers by steam stagecoaches was quickly picked up by others. So Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, walking around London, could easily see some kind of self-propelled steam miracle.

By the way.

Why do we prefer hydrocarbon engines over water? The reason is more historical than the advantage of technology. Brian Arthur, an economist at Stanford who developed mathematical tools to study the Crowd Effect, wrote in 1984 about how we were stuck with a gasoline and kerosene engine:

"In 1890 there were three ways to move cars - steam, gasoline and electricity - and one of them was the worst - gasoline. The turning point in the use of gasoline was the Chicago race. The Times Herald funded the first American carriage race without horses in Chicago in 1895.

The first cars with an internal combustion engine running on gasoline were invented in 1886 in Germany. The world saw two mechanisms at once, created by different inventors independently of each other. So, the duet of Gottlieb Daimler with Wilhelm Maybach presented a four-wheeled self-propelled carriage, and Karl Benz received a patent for a three-wheeled vehicle.

The advent of automobiles would not have been possible without the invention of the engine. And the very first prototypes of self-propelled carts were equipped with steam engines. Two people were required to control:

• driver, following the wheel;
• chauffeur responsible for fuel loading.

Unfortunately, the first cars were either too bulky or needed to be constantly replenished with fuel. Therefore, this type of mechanism is not widely used as a personal means of transportation. Although large steam-powered trucks existed almost until the twenties of the last century.

At the very beginning of the nineteenth century, the first piston engine was invented. And in the sixties and the first ICE (internal combustion engines). Initially, only gas was used as fuel.

But a few years later, prototypes began to appear on liquid fuel. But only in 1880 the Russian scientist O.S. Kostovich created the first gasoline engine with carburetor.

How did the automotive industry develop?

The mass production of cars began in Germany by Karl Benz, but this did not stop other inventors and developers:

• 1888 - the serial production of Motorwagen by Benz & Company began in Germany, and a few months later in France, but already under license.
• 1889 - the creation of the FIAT company in Italy and the release of the first car under the same brand.
• 1890 - Maybach and Daimler founded the joint-stock company DMG, and two years later the first Daimler was sold.
• 1894 - Englishman F. Simms bought DMG, and the company became the official supplier of cars for the British crown.
• 1898 - Production of the first Renault in France.
• 1905 - G. Ford came up with his own concept of a self-propelled mechanism and launched its mass production in 1916.
• 1905-1907 - the invention of cars by Japanese designers.
• 1917 - start of sales of Japanese Mitsubishi, the mechanics of which were completely copied from the Italian brand FIAT.

• 1924 - the beginning of the automotive industry in the USSR.
• 1926 - Merger of Benz & Company and DMG under the leadership of the future famous founder of Porsche and the launch of a new and improved brand of Mercedes-Benz cars.
• 1946 - the Soviet automobile industry produced the world's first "wingless" body.

woman and car

Few people know about it, but one of the main roles in the popularization of the car as a personal vehicle was played by wife of Karl Benz Bert. She completed the world's first run of more than a hundred kilometers in the company of her children. Information of historians about the reasons that prompted her to such a journey varies.

According to one version, Frau Benz simply decided to visit her mother in secret from her husband. But the second version says that Karl wanted to make the first race with the whole family in order to advertise his invention. But after just a couple of kilometers, the transport stalled due to a clogged fuel hose.

But whichever of the stories is true, this event is still considered one of the most important in the development of the car. Because before that, the public was distrustful of self-propelled carriages.

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Without any doubt, every representative of the strong half of humanity at least once asked the question: “What is it really, the very first car in the world?”.

To date, there are several different opinions about the appearance of the first car, its real dimensions, shapes and main technical characteristics. This is confirmed by the prototype of a self-propelled carriage and a steam locomotive, which was created by the military engineer Nicolas-Jose Cugno in the second half of the 18th century (1769) in one of the prosperous cities of France - Paris. It is this invention that is rightfully considered the world's first car set in motion without the use of traction human power.

This device was called the "small Cugnot cart", although the engineer and creator Nicolas-Jose himself preferred to call his work the "Fire Cart", since the author originally planned to create a device for transporting artillery equipment and guns.

Rumors about the appearance of the first self-propelled vehicle spread very quickly. And the public was more and more interested in the new brainchild of a French engineer. The inventor continued to work in his field, and a year later, an improved version of the self-propelled cart was presented to the public, which differed significantly from the initial version.

The main technical characteristics of the first car

The technical performance that the very first car possessed may seem ridiculous today, but at that time it was a revolutionary step in the technical field. The engine of the car was a steam boiler, which was located in front of the structure far from the front axle. The drive was carried out by applying traction force to a single wheel located in front, which in turn made it difficult to control to a certain extent.

At that time, the inventor Cugno managed to create an engine whose power, by today's standards, is 2 horsepower. This unit allowed the trolley to reach speeds of up to 5 kilometers per hour. In addition, its capacity was also enough for the unhindered transportation of various cargoes, the total weight of which could reach 5 tons.

However, this vehicle had one very significant drawback, due to which design developments were soon closed and prohibited. The first car, created in France, did not have a brake system, which led to undesirable consequences and damage during the operation of nearby buildings.

The Other Side of the Medal

However, there are also adherents of a slightly different point of view, which many of us have no right to consider erroneous. In most cases, it is assumed that a car can be called a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine. Then, from this side, the world-famous “Motorwagen”, which was designed by the German inventor Karl Benz, speaks about the first representative of the line of cars equipped with internal combustion engines. Officially, this machine was patented in the winter of 1886, and a year later it was presented at an exhibition in Paris.

Most critics believe that Benz's version was a significant improvement on a design proposed over a hundred years ago. Although it was very difficult to call this unit a full-fledged car, since in appearance it looked more like a tricycle, with a motor installed on it that powered both rear wheels. It is considered important here that the water-cooled internal combustion engine was introduced for the first time.

The power of this unit was significantly less compared to the design of 1769, but the maximum speed was much higher and reached 15 km / h. A powerful engine with a displacement of 1.7 liters and a two-speed gearbox helped to achieve this indicator. But, despite the significant advantages, the first car with an internal combustion engine also had serious shortcomings in the control system, which were eliminated in further production.

Cars have long become a familiar means of transportation for each of us. But it is difficult to imagine how many stages the car went through before becoming everyday transport. And its history is really very long and begins long before the invention of the prototype of a modern car.

How did it all start?

Of course, now it is extremely difficult to restore the history of the invention and understand which car was the very first. Perhaps, for now, there are hidden facts for us that will move the date of the first attempts even further. But while historians remember 1672.

It was then that a toy was developed, which is often compared to a car. Ferdinand Verbiest was engaged in the invention of a prototype machine for the Chinese emperor. But since it was just an idea, it was implemented in a toy model.

Such a "car" was more like a cart, which could be moved by refueling coal. However, she could drive for more than an hour. Then Verbiest introduced the concept of "motor", which turned out to be closest to its modern meaning.

Attempts in Russia

In Russia, they also tried to invent the very first car, so in 1752 Mikhail Lomonosov was presented with a prototype of the first car. They were engaged in an ordinary peasant Leonty Shamshurenkov.

The inventor brought to St. Petersburg a four-wheeled independent carriage, which had a pedal drive. He proved that his transport could move at a speed of 15 km/h. Leonty also showed Lomonosov the first prototype of a verstometer, which showed the distance traveled by a car.

After 30 years in Russia, attempts continued to get closer to the modern car. In the early 1780s, Ivan Kulibin worked on a modification of the carriage, where he was going to add pedals. Already in 1791, he managed to present a three-wheeled carriage that traveled at a speed of 16.2 km / h. This invention introduced people to the gearbox, flywheel and rolling bearings.

Since no one in the state supported such inventions, many stopped working on them.

German car industry

What is the first car in the world? It is impossible to answer this question precisely, but it is known that Karl Benz was the most influential person in the nascent German "auto industry". It was thanks to this German engineer that many modern automotive technologies became known.

Nikolaus Otto was the first to introduce the four-stroke gasoline internal combustion engine. Rudolf Diesel also worked on it. Interestingly, the German Christian Friedrich also worked on the fuel itself, who replaced gasoline with a hydrogen fuel cell.

For a couple

One of the first prototypes of modern models were steam cars. It all started, as previously mentioned, with Ferdinand Verbiest and his toys for the Chinese emperor. Such a car was extremely impractical, since neither the driver nor the passenger could use it. But often it is he who is called the very first car, the photo of which has not been preserved, but there is only an engraving.

But many people liked the idea of ​​steam transport and began to develop already in the 18th century. Cugno came up with an experimental artillery tractor, but not everyone liked this option.

In Britain, they also tried to engage in the auto industry, so in 1784 William Murdoch's steam carriage became famous. Richard Trevithick apparently decided to bring the steam locomotive to the roads, so in 1801 he introduced the Snoring Devil, a road locomotive. All this helped the inventors to create a hand brake, transmission, steering.

Such a rapid development of transport in the UK frightened ordinary residents and the country's authorities proposed to introduce a law that required an assistant on the road. Such a person had to walk in front of the car, wave a red flag and give signals so that pedestrians immediately understood the approach of a car. All this reduced the interest of inventors in this area. Many went to work on railroad locomotives.

Meanwhile, in the US, they were also worried about the creation of the very first car. Here Oliver Evans presented the first car in America, which also turned out to be an amphibious car. The invention allowed passengers to travel on land and water.

With the help of electricity

A little later, the very first electric cars began to appear. The first in this case was the Hungarian Jedlik Anjos, who in 1828 introduced the world to an electric motor. To show his work, the engineer had to create a small car as a prototype.

So, at first, inventors around the world showed only miniature car models, but already in 1838, Robert Davidson introduced an electric locomotive. After 2 years, it was decided to patent the rail tracks, which turned out to be a conductor of electric current.

Fuel use

It's no surprise that inventors around the world have been trying to find the perfect transportation option that doesn't require large supplies of coal or rails. This is how engineers came up with the internal combustion engine. The problem arose only with the use of suitable fuel, which would come to replace the gas mixture.

A lot of inventors experimented with different fuels and uses of technology, but the very first gasoline-powered car in the world was introduced by Karl Benz. This is how the Benz Patent-Motorwagen model became known. The prototype turned out to be so successful that the engineer began producing cars in 1886.

It is now difficult to say whether Benz was an inspiration for someone, but already in 1889 Daimler and Maybach developed a completely new invention that no longer looked like a horse-drawn carriage. Around the same time, engineers were also working on the world's first motorcycle, the Daimler Petroleum Reitwagen.

Many discoveries and enthusiasts have been forgotten. There is evidence that the first four-wheeled car in Britain appeared in 1895. He worked on gasoline and thanks to Frederick Lanchester, who by the way patented the disc brake.

Benz Patent-Motorwagen

It is this model, perhaps, that can be called the very first car in the world, the photo of which is presented below. In fact, it was the first vehicle with an internal combustion engine, whose father was Karl Benz. Its peculiarity is that it became the first commercially available vehicle.

Now it has a lot in common with modern prototypes. For example, it also had a chassis, a gasoline engine, electric ignition, a carburetor, a cooling system, a brake mechanism, and a transmission.

There is information that Karl Benz faced a number of problems that prevented him from bringing the matter to its logical end. He could not solve the problem with steering, so he developed a three-wheeled model.

But literally five years later he managed to find or peep a solution. This is how the Benz Victoria became known to the world - a car with four wheels and a carriage type. He just replaced the previous model, became commercially successful and was produced for 7 years.

Start of production

Before the creation of the very first brand of the car, there was little left. When the engineers finally chose the most optimal transport option, they threw all their efforts into mass production.

The first in this area was again Karl Benz in 1888. At the same time, Rudolf Egg was engaged in the production of tricycles. Mass production was launched in the US and France.

The first on the path of the automotive industry were the French. They founded the company "Panard and Levassor" in 1889, which was engaged in the production of cars. Two years later, the world heard about Peugeot.

The beginning of the 20th century for Europe turned into an active development of the automotive industry. But until 1903 France was the leader. The USA had its own heroes. The Duryea Motor Wagon Company was founded in 1893. Behind them, the Olds Motor Vehicle Company stepped up. Already by 1902, Cadillac, Vinton and Ford became popular.

Despite the fact that the automobile production of the world grew exponentially, in fact, everything converged to the fact that the car was a luxury item and a novelty of fashion. While it could not yet become a useful invention. This was due to the fact that the cost of cars was extremely high, and breakdowns were very common. And the fuel was not so easy to get.

On the way to modernity

Cars have come a long way to become what we see them today. It was necessary to conduct a series of experiments, then plunge into vintage and survive the pre-war era.

The Second World War had a great influence on the automotive industry. The world saw a pontoon-type body, which lost its protruding wings, huge headlights and steps. The very first car in the world, which was produced in large series, was the Soviet GAZ-M-20 Pobeda.

After that, the engineers stopped working on frilly shapes and special needs. They delved into the development of more powerful engines and higher speeds.

The very first car with a gasoline engine was designed by Siegfried Markus, an engineer from Austria. During the experiments, he accidentally ignited a mixture of air with gasoline vapors. The event was the premise of the idea of ​​using gasoline as a fuel. Thanks to Marcus, the first gasoline-powered engine saw the light of day. At the beginning of 1864, the engine was installed on a simple wagon, and after 11 years, as a result of hard work, a more advanced machine was obtained. However, the laurels of superiority received others.

Who invented the car? According to official sources, the creation of the first car in the world is the merit of talented engineers Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler. Moreover, Daimler is known as the inventor of the first gasoline-powered engine. The engine was designed in 1883, which was the impetus for the creation of the first self-propelled carriage.

When was the first car created? Its creation is credited to Karl Benz, the man who created the first car with an internal combustion engine in 1885. A year later, he received a patent for an innovative invention and permission to create cars with a gasoline engine. It was Karl Benz who is recognized as the man who created the first car. The creator of the car not only developed the design and filed a patent, but also created a prototype and set up production.

What was the first car? The car was similar to the tricycle, which was popular in those years. The design included a chain drive, a tubular frame, three spoked wheels. The car could pick up at a speed of 13 km / h. Having quickly established production, Benz sold over 69 cars within 8 years. After 1894, he began to focus on four-wheeled cars having a two-cylinder engine with pneumatic tires. In the same year, about 67 cars were sold, and by 1900 the figure had increased to a dozen - sales reached 603 units.

The starting point in the history of the Russian automotive industry is the meeting between Yevgeny Alexandrovich Yakovlev and Petr Alexandrovich Frese. Acquaintance happened in America in 1893 at an exhibition dedicated to the Benz car - "Benz". It was here that they came up with the idea of ​​creating their own car, endowed with an internal combustion engine. In 1896, the first domestic car was presented to the inhabitants of Russia. Its appearance resembled the creation of Benz, but the project was created entirely according to the drawings of Russian designers.

The novelty was presented to the public at an exhibition held in Nizhny Novgorod. 1896 was remembered in the country as the year of the creation of the first Russian car. The first domestic car was equipped with a body that could accommodate two passengers, weighed about 300 kg and was ready to develop a speed of about 20 km / h.