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On the day in engineering history, Karl Benz received the first patent for a gasoline-powered automobile. On January 29, 1886, the German mechanical engineer received patent DRP 37435 for a "vehicle with gas operation". Karl Benz's three-wheeled vehicle resembled an oversized tricycle or baby carriage, but featured a four-stroke 0.9-PS engine. PS, an abbreviation for the German word Pferdestärke (horse strength), is often confused with horsepower (hp), but is mathematically different from the British unit. According to Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), a German metrology institute, 1 PS = 0.9863201652997627 hp – or roughly 98.6% of mechanical horsepower.
Benz's 0.9-PS engine was located at the rear of his vehicle, behind a bench-style seat which provided enough room for a driver and passenger. Known as the Motorwagen, the three-wheeled "horseless carriage" had two large wheels in the back and a smaller wheel in the front. All three wheels were made of metal and featured interwoven spokes. Instead of a steering wheel, however, Benz's tri-car (as it is sometimes known) sported a shaft which attached to the front wheel and could be used to direct the vehicle. This primitive form of rack-and-pinion steering included a small gear which meshed with a toothed bar or rack. Other "modern" Motorwagen features included an electric ignition system, a carburetor, a water cooling system, and rear springs.
Although most automotive historians recognize Karl Benz as the holder of the first patent for a gasoline-powered vehicle, car buffs continue to debate whether he really invented the first modern automobile. George Auer, a Benz biographer who profiled the German mechanical engineer for the European Automotive Hall of Fame, asserts that "DRP 37435 today is recognized as the official birth certificate of the motor car." Benz's detractors, however, claim that the Motorwagen of the 1880s was not a truly modern vehicle because of its three-wheel design. They also note that Karl Benz did not "invent" the automobile - if the term "automobile" refers to a self-propelled vehicle. That honor may belong to Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot, a French military engineer who designed a steam-powered tractor that could pull artillery.
Editor's Note: The first U.S. patent for an automobile belongs to George B. Seldon.
Resources:
https://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blbenz.htm
https://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Benz-Kar.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Benz
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsepower
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