- The future and history of automobile production come together in Sindelfingen
- Mercedes-Benz Classic brings the vehicle of 1894 back on the road in 2024
- Benz & Cie. started production of the world’s first series-production car 130 years ago
From 1894 into the future: in March 2024, the 130-year-old Benz Motor-Velocipede made its first outing in the anniversary year at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen. The location is also the home of Factory 56 with state-of-the-art production technology. This is where Mercedes-Benz is trialling the use of humanoid robots for production logistics, for example. Projects like this are as innovative today as the development and production of the first ever series-production car 130 years ago.
Photos of the Benz Motor-Velocipede on the test track in Sindelfingen and at other historically significant locations: https://mercedes-benz-archive.com/marsMuseum/de/instance/ko/130-Jahre-Jubilaeum-Benz-Motor-Velociped-1894.xhtml?oid=191741440
Mercedes-Benz Classic has got the vehicle ready to drive to the highest standards of originality with the expertise of the company’s own Classic Centre in Fellbach. For such projects, it draws on the extensive historical documents and information in the Mercedes-Benz Classic archives. The Motor-Velocipede was previously on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum. In 2024, the 130-year-old car can be seen in action by the public at selected events.
The innovative series-production car became a bestseller
In 1894, the innovative Benz Motor-Velocipede with its lightweight construction marked a turning point for the automobile industry. “The demand for this vehicle was quite literally overwhelming. What we made was sold immediately.” This is how automobile inventor Carl Benz remembered it in an interview in 1909. All in all, some 1,200 examples of this model family of compact Benz automobiles were built at the Benz factory in Mannheim between 1894 and 1902. Known as the “Velo” for short, the model was the first series-production passenger car in history.
Benz & Cie. described the performance of the successful car as follows in 1894: “This Velocipede has an engine that can develop 1½ horsepower.” Two years later, the catalogue stated the maximum speed and driving behaviour: “The Velocipede is able to cover around 20 kilometres per hour and overcome gradients of up to 10% on good roads.” It cost 2,000 marks “complete with the finest fittings and lanterns”.
Innovation proceeded at a rapid pace. From 1896 onwards, Benz offered more powerful engines and additional equipment options. As a luxury version of the Motor-Velocipede, the Benz Comfortable came with a longer body, a third gear available at extra cost, more elaborate seat upholstery, a rear-facing child seat and a crank for easier starting. Optional extras included pneumatic tyres for better driving characteristics.
The vehicle concept was produced as the Benz Motor-Velocipede until 1900, and as the Benz Comfortable until 1902, and was continuously developed further. In particular, the power output of the horizontally installed 1-litre single-cylinder engine with vertical flywheel increased from 1.1 kW (1.5 hp) in the first Benz Velo of 1894 to 3.3 kW (4.5 hp) in the Benz Comfortable of 1902. From 1901 (2.6 kW/3.5 hp) to 1902 alone, the power output increased by an impressive 28.5 per cent.
The model family was also an export success. This is shown in the trilingual catalogue in German, English and French from 1901. In France, the “Velo” was marketed as the “Éclair” (“Lightning”). In 1895, Benz granted a licence to the British engineering company Arnold to produce the Motor-Velocipede. The “Arnold Motor Carriage” was one of the first British automobiles.
