Rare Car Archive

Makes › Benz Germany › Patent-Motorwagen Model 3 (Bertha Benz type) · Historically significant · 1886–1894 Ultra Rare

Benz
Patent-Motorwagen Model 3 (Bertha Benz type)

Further development of the Patent Motor Car; the type used by Bertha Benz for the first long-distance drive (Mannheim–Pforzheim, 1888)

Benz Patent-Motorwagen Model 3 (Wikipedia article: Benz Patent-Motorwagen)
Benz Patent-Motorwagen Model 3 (Wikipedia article: Benz Patent-Motorwagen)
Photo: William Worby Beaumont · Public domain
25BuiltFactory reported
0Chassis documentedin this archive
?SurvivingNot yet verified
Contents
  1. 01Overview
  2. 02Production & history
  3. 03Specifications
  4. 04Colours & options
  5. 05Individual cars
  6. 06Reference

01Overview

At a glance

Built
25 Built
Years
1886–1894
Engine
Rear, horizontal single cylinder; horizontal flywheel, from 1888 vertical
Power
Not yet verified
Top speed
20 km/hFactory: 20 km/h
Body
Not yet verified
Designer
Carl Benz
In this archive
Not yet verified
Surviving
Not yet verified

Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.

Why it matters

The Model 3 is the series-production form of the Benz Patent Motor Car, the vehicle Carl Benz patented in January 1886 and the archive calls the world's first automobile. Benz designed engine, chassis and drive train as one unit instead of fitting an engine to a carriage.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Model rarityUltra Rare 25 · Built1
Specification rarityNot yet assessed
Colour rarityNot yet assessed
Individual rarityNot yet assessed
Historical rarityNot yet assessed Production figure not yet verified.
Survival rarityNot yet assessed

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

02Production & history

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

What is countedFigureBasisStatus
Total model productionapprox., all engine versions of the Model 3 (1.5, 2.5 and 3 hp) 251 Factory production Factory reported

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Benz filed the patent on 29 January 1886 and first drove in public on 3 July 1886 around Mannheim. The Model 3 was built from 1886 to 1894 with single-cylinder engines of 1.5, 2.5 and 3 hp, and about 25 were made in total. From 1888 the flywheel was mounted vertically instead of horizontally. Benz found a solution for the three-wheel steering problem only in 1893.

Variants

How each version differs from the standard Patent-Motorwagen Model 3 (Bertha Benz type).

No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

03Specifications

Technical specifications

Engine

Engine familyNot yet verified
Engine codeNot yet verified
LayoutRear, horizontal single cylinder; horizontal flywheel, from 1888 vertical1Common to the 1.5, 2.5 and 3 hp versions; power and bore/stroke differ per version (1.5 hp: 110 x 110 mm, 1045 cc; 2.5 hp: 115 x 160 mm, 1660 cc; 3 hp: 130 x 150 mm, 1990 cc, all at 500 rpm).
Cylinders11
DisplacementNot yet verified
BoreNot yet verified
StrokeNot yet verified
Compression ratioNot yet verified
Fuel systemBenz surface carburettor1
PowerNot yet verified
Power atNot yet verified
TorqueNot yet verified

Transmission & drivetrain

GearboxFlat belt to countershaft with loose- and two-stage fixed-pulley set and differential, chain to each rear wheel1
Gears21
Driven wheelsrear1

Chassis, body & dimensions

ChassisSteel-tube frame1
Front suspension1 front wheel in steering fork, 1 small transverse full-elliptical spring1
Rear suspensionRigid axle, full-elliptic springs1
BrakesHand brake only: wood-pad brakes on rear tyres; no foot brake1
SteeringRack-and-pinion, steering crank in centre of vehicle1
Body constructionNot yet verified
Wheelbase 1,575 mmFactory: 1,575 mm1
LengthNot yet verified
WidthNot yet verified
HeightNot yet verified
Front trackNot yet verified
Rear track 1,190 mmFactory: 1,190 mm1
Kerb weight 360 kgFactory: 360 kg1
Dry weightNot yet verified

Performance

Maximum speed 20 km/hFactory: 20 km/h1
0–100 km/hNot yet verified
Fuel tankNot yet verified

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

04Colours & options

Factory colours & interiors

Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Factory options & codes

Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

05Individual cars

Chassis register

Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Competition history

Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Auction & sale history

Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

See one in person

Museums where an example of this car can be seen.

No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

06Reference

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

Documented features of the Model 3: tubular steel frame, one steered front wheel in a fork, a horizontal single-cylinder engine at the rear driving a flat belt to a countershaft with a differential, then a chain to each rear wheel, two forward speeds with no reverse, rack-and-pinion steering and wood-pad brakes on the rear tyres. The archive gives front wheel diameter 760 mm and rear 1260 mm, wooden-spoke wheels and rear track 1190 mm.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

  1. 1
    Benz patent motor car (Model 3; 1.5 hp), 1886 - 1894 Level A Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Mercedes-Benz Public Archive (Classic M@RS)
    • Units produced : a total of approx. 25 (all engine versions)
    • Configuration : rear, horizontal (Specifications)
    • Number of cylinders / arrangement : 1 / horizontal (Specifications)
    • Fuel system : Benz surface carburettor (Specifications)
    • Transmission type : loose- and two-stage fixed-pulley set (Specifications)
    • Gearing : 2 forward gears, no reverse gear (Specifications)
    • Driven wheels : rear wheels (Specifications)
    • Frame design : steel-tube frame (Specifications)
    • Front springs : 1 small full-elliptical spring (transverse) (Specifications)
    • Rear springs : full-elliptic springs (Specifications)
    • Brake system (foot brake) : not fitted (Specifications)
    • Steering : rack-and-pinion steering (Specifications)
    • Wheelbase : 1575 mm (Specifications)
    • Front / rear track : rear 1190 mm (Specifications)
    • Kerb weight : 360 kg (Specifications)
    • Maximum speed : 20 km/h (Specifications)
    Accessed 2026-11-12

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