The man behind the Mercedes-Benz name. Known as the inventor of the gasoline-propelled automobile. In 1878, Benz began to concentrate his efforts on developing a reliable gasoline two-stroke engine and in 1879 he was granted a patent for his new design. read more
The Benz Patent Motorwagen was patented in 1885 as an “automobile fueled by gas.” In 1906, Karl Benz and his son Eugen formed C. Benz Sons as a private company to produce automobiles. Their cars became popular in London as taxis. In 1912, Karl Benz left the family-held business and liquidated his shares in C. Benz Sons. read more
Karl Benz was born Karl Friedrich Michael Vaillant, on 25 November 1844 in Mühlburg, now a borough of Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, which is part of modern Germany, to Josephine Vaillant and a locomotive driver, Johann Georg Benz, whom she married a few months later. read more