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First Automobile
The steam powered engine was a 65cm long scale model toy for the Chinese Emperor, and was unable to carry a driver or passenger. -
Auto-running carraige
Had an odometer and four wheels. -
Internal Combustion Engine
This engine was originally used on a boat, but later added to a vehicle; ran on finely crushed coal dust and resin that was mixed with oil; it was not very successful. -
First Electric Automobile
In November 1881, French inventor Gustave Trouvé demonstrated a working three-wheeled automobile powered by electricity at the International Exposition of Electricity, Paris. -
First Modern Automobile Benz
Karl Benz was the inventor of the first modern automobile. His first Motorwagen was built in 1885, and he was awarded the patent for its invention as of his application on January 29, 1886. Benz began promotion of the vehicle on July 3, 1886, and about 25 Benz vehicles were sold between 1888 and 1893 -
First Diesel Engine
In 1892, German engineer Rudolf Diesel was granted a patent for a "New Rational Combustion Engine". In 1897, he built the first Diesel Engine. -
First Large Scale Production Automobile Ford Model T
Ford's cars came off the line in fifteen minute intervals, much faster than previous methods, increasing productivity eightfold while using less manpower. It was so successful, paint became a bottleneck. Only Japan black would dry fast enough, forcing the company to drop the variety of colors available before 1914, until fast-drying Duco lacquer was developed in 1926. This is the source of Ford's apocryphal remark, "any color as long as it's black".
