If you’ve happened to browse through our own Sibley Shop museum on a visit to Hemmings HQ in Bennington, Vermont, you might have stopped to marvel at our 1886 Benz replica, one of 14 such replicas built by John Bentley and Sons in England in the late 1980s of what many consider the very first automobile. Now we see another 1886 Benz three-wheeler replica for sale on Hemmings.com. From the seller’s description:
Carl Benz’s three-wheeler Motorwagen was the first successful use of the internal combustion-engined motor car. It featured a rear mounted horizontal engine with vertical crankshaft, belt primary drive and final transmission to the rear wheels by side chains. The entire package was placed on a tubular chassis that was suspended in place by three large wheels. The engine displaced 984cc and provided .9 horsepower. Top speed was achieved at 8 mph. It was not a romantic ride; it was loud, smelly and the occupants felt every bump and vibration. It was primitive, but at the same time it was ’state of the art.’ By 1885, Karl Benz had built and tested a four-stroke engine and a tubular-frame tricycle to accept that engine. Despite its primitive appearance, the little vehicle did well in trial runs, achieving a speed of 8 mph. This car actually incorporated a number of features still found in automobiles today, including mechanical inlet valves, a differential and electrical ignition. The horizontal one-lunger used a vertical crankshaft to which a large, horizontal flywheel was attached. Previous owner will deliver and give instructions and details on operation of this vehicle.
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