Yesterday we talked about the double-pivot steering innovations that Carl Benz brought to the automotive world. But that wasn’t even close to the end of his contributions to the industry.
Between 1893 and 1900, Benz created and patented the first four-wheeler. He used his groundbreaking steering technology when he offered this vehicle, the Victoria, to the public. There were different versions of the Victoria and each version had different horsepower outputs, ranging from three to six.
Though he added many more vehicles to the industry, the Victoria remained Carl Benz’s favorite car.
Legend states that Carl Benz chose the name “Victoria” for this vehicle as a way to celebrate his “victory” over the industry’s long-time steering problem.
Another historical triumph for the Victoria was that it was the first vehicle model to take a long-distance trip. In 1894, Baron Theodor von Liebieg took production model number 76 from Reichenberg to Gondorf and a few places in between. Altogether, the vehicle traveled more than 2,500 kilometers in just a few months. And at a top speed of only 20 kilometers per hour, that’s no small feat! For every 100 kilometers, the four-horsepower vehicle used about 21 liters of fuel, and it neededd about 150 liters of water in the cooling system for every 100 kilometers as well.
Today, you can visit the National Czech Museum in Prague to see the very vehicle that made this historic road trip. But you can also find the latest and most modern models full of luxury and convenience at your local Mercedes-Benz dealer.
