Engineering Crossroads The Genesis of Automotive Design

The first car was built in 1885 by a German engineer named Karl Benz. Benz's car, called the Motorwagen, was a three-wheeled vehicle that was powered by a ... For a few centuries there were different variations of steam powered vehicles that were early prototypes for the modern car, but the first ... The first car designs were simple and practical, with little emphasis on aesthetics. Cars were seen as mechanical workhorses designed to transport people ... Karl Benz's Patent Motorwagen is regarded as the first practical self-propelled vehicle. It was powered by a petroleum-fueled four-stroke ... The common definition of a car is a “vehicle powered by a gas engine,” as Karl Benz patented in 1886, then the first car was, in fact, ... Although it never entered production, the HP-X embodied a design approach that stood the test of time, and had a decisive impact on many models ... In 1769, according to Autoweek, Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot did create a lumbering and slow three-wheeled contraption powered by steam that some ... In 1886, Karl Benz was granted a patent for his automobile and began the first production car in 1888. His first-ever car contained the absolute ... ... first time at the Detroit Auto Show. The BMW X5 offered drivers an ... historical BMW motorcycles when it comes to technical features and design elements. It was constructed of steel tubing with woodwork panels. The steel-spoked wheels and solid rubber tires were Benz's own design. Steering was by way of a toothed ...