
3 3 c m
40cm
actual image size: 32cm x 25cm
Description
Scale model. In 1875, the Austrian engineer Siegfried Marcus (1831-1898) made this petrol-driven motor car. The oak framed car was very compact, storing the petrol behind the driver's seat, and the internal combustion engine between the rear wheels. With a top speed of 6 km/h (4 mph), the car worked well. Unfortunately, Marcus did not realise the commercial potential of his invention. It was another 11 years before Karl Benz produced the first commercial motor car.
Image Details
Image Ref.
10306405
© Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library