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| We start our tour with the original form of powered transportation. Before the invention of the high-speed petrol engine in 1883, Mr. Ed was our only reliable way of getting ourselves and cargo around. Thank you Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz! |
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| Daimler's “Grandfather Clock” was the world's first gas powered small high-speed internal combustion engine. This 1886 example is a slightly larger version of the engine than the engine that a patent was originally filed for in 1885. |
CAR FACT = The German word for gasoline Benzin may have a close resemblence to Karl Benz, but this is pure coincidence. The word comes from the resin of the Benzoin tree that was used for the production of benzene. You can only imagine how difficult it must have been to get your hands on the stuff in the early days of the automobile. People used to have to buy it at chemist's shops and drugstores! At the turn of the century, established “car clubs” would set up private stashes of oil and gasoline. It wasn't till the 20's that an organized and proper gasoline network would begin to develop.
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| Here you can see where the Grandfather Clock would sit in the first automobiles – directly behind the driver. |
