Car Paris. Although several other German engineers (including Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach, and Siegfried Marcus) were working on the problem at about the same time, Karl Benz generally is acknowledged as the inventor of the modern car. In 1879, Benz was granted a patent for his first engine, which had been designed in 1878. Many of his other inventions made the use of the internal combustion engine feasible for powering a vehicle. His first "Motorwagen" was built in 1885 in Mannheim, Germany. He was awarded the patent for its invention as of his application on 29 January 1886 (under the auspices
Lanchester petrol-electric car Lanchester petrol-electric car The Lanchester petrol-electric car is a protype motor vehicle, designed in 1927 by Frederick W. Lanchester of the Lanchester Motor Company in his workshop in Birmingham, England. It is now on display in Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum. The term "petrol-electric" denotes that the car was a hybrid vehicle, with both a petrol engine, at the rear, and an electric motor. The latter was used for starting, reversing, and when extra power was needed, for example for climbing hills. When traveling at speed, under petrol power, the electric motor acted as a generator, charging the battery. The car