Franklin Mint / 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen / 1:8th Scale
Green & Tan
Own the World’s First Automobile. This
is the car that started it all! Designed by Karl Benz, it was the first motor
vehicle ever successfully powered by internal combustion. The car that began the
legend of Mercedes-Benz. And now you can own the first 1:8 scale precision
die-cast model of The World's First Automobile.
Handcrafted from over 100 parts, and authenticated by the Mercedes-Benz Museum,
this richly detailed model features critical mechanical components that actually
function. The flywheel, piston, drive belt, pulley and hand brake move. The
wheels and crankshaft turn. The ignition contacts open and close.
There's rack-and-pinion steering and a huge gyroscopic flywheel. The expansion
tank is copper-tinted and coated in gold. The carburetor, fuel tank and fittings
are also coated with gold. Specially imported.
In July 3rd, 1886 an event occurred that certainly had an enormous impact on the
history of man. For it was on that date that the first useable car in the world
- Karl Benz’s Patent Motorcar - was given its first public outing. No one could
really know at the time that the simple carriage, achieving speeds of 12 kph,
was a beginning of a new era in human history - the automobile age.
Benz’s first car had a four-stroke single-cylinder engine which displaced
990ccs. The engine was mounted horizontally on the vehicle which in many ways
was a unique blend of a horse carriage and a three-wheeled bicycle. Producing
0.9 horsepower, the engine drove wire spoked wheels through Benz's innovative
array of differential gears, belts and chains.
Benz’s automobile included innovations that are still used today on over 400
million automobiles. It had electric ignition, a water-cooled engine and a
quite modern differential gear. The custom-made body included a two passenger
seat and rack-and pinion steering operated by a "tiller." The automobile had no
foot brakes and was stopped by a handbrake applied to the drive mechanism. With
an advanced differential drive train, no reverse gear, and a belt clutch, the
vehicle was able to reach a maximum speed of 16 to 18 kph.
When Benz’s "horseless carriage" appeared at the World's Columbian Exposition in
Chicago in 1893, it ignited the imagination of the public, and triggered the
beginning of the automobile industry. The Benz Patent Motorcar was more than
just another invention in the pantheon of man's technology. It was the one
invention that opened up the world - that brought everyone and everything just a
little bit closer.
Part #: SD65
Condition: New in Box w/ all papers & Benz Patentschrift sheet
Includes full color sales brochure &1992 order form
A work of art. I can't imagine what this would cost today if China was still manufacturing for Franklin Mint.
The outside box isn't in the greatest condition but the styrofoam and surrounding protective shipping foam is intact.
It will be double boxed for shipment
NOTE: The original "rubber band drive" is still installed on the drive drum. Typically you'll find this dry rotted and broken but its in like new condition
Large 1/8th scale approx 12" long
Price: 0.00
Status: SOLD! Thanks Chuck