The first attempts
In 1752, Leonty Shamshurenkov – a serf peasant from Vyatka Governorate – demonstrated the first automobile in Russia to the great Lomonosov. The famous scientist, to whom a number of brilliant discoveries belong, was delighted by the invention of his humble compatriot. True, the «self-mover» was, in its form and technical characteristics, very far from the image of a real automobile. And let us also note that at that time this name did not even exist.
It should be said that the future of the automobile was «forged» in the minds of thousands of talented self-taught inventors. The machine was assembled literally bit by bit over the course of several centuries. And to claim with certainty who was actually the first to create the automobile would not be entirely correct. For example, the miniature steam car built back in 1672 by Ferdinand Verbiest became a sort of spark that set off an explosion of creative technical thought.
The military quickly grasped what advantages the new vehicle offered. And they decided to use it to deliver artillery pieces right to the battlefield. But the cumbersome cart with a steam boiler and two large pistons could carry a respectable load of up to 5 tonnes – only at a snail's pace. And, alas, this device, which bore little resemblance to the future automobile, had one serious drawback. It had no brakes.
The invention of Nikolaus Otto and his successors
A truly revolutionary turning point in the history of the modern automobile's creation was achieved by the invention of the self-taught German engineer Nikolaus Otto. His internal combustion engine opened a new era on the path toward the coveted goal.
This discovery was skillfully exploited by Siegfried Marcus, whom many consider the inventor of the prototype of the modern automobile. He was the first to mount a gasoline engine on a wooden carriage. But this rudimentary automobile with a single-cylinder two-stroke internal combustion engine needed to be refined. For instance, the wheels hung above the ground until the engine was started.
A new page in the history of automaking was opened by Karl Benz. In a small workshop he toiled almost around the clock over the solution to the main technical problem: how to perfect the existing automobile and equip it with everything essential so that it would become a genuine, convenient and popular means of transport.
The patent for the first automobile
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In January 1886, Karl Benz patented his invention, which would become historic. His automobile would acquire the basic features of the modern car of today. An ignition system powered by a battery, a two-stroke gasoline engine, a carburetor, an accelerator and other important components now formed a single whole – something that the trial vehicles of his predecessors had so sorely lacked.
Thanks to Bertha – Benz's wife – the invention won worldwide fame. The brave woman set off with her two sons in the automobile to visit relatives more than a hundred kilometers away. This journey proved to everyone the unprecedented technical capabilities of the new means of transport.
And indeed, the three-wheeled carriage, equipped with a four-stroke water-cooled gasoline engine and a speed of 14 km/h, caused a real sensation not only in Germany. No one was even troubled by how the family of Karl Benz fit inside it.
Entering the global market
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In 1901 an event occurred that would serve as an important milestone in the history of automaking. The Benz automobile came out under the brand «Mersedes». Its creative co-author – a competitor and the great inventor Gottlieb Daimler – did everything possible to ensure that the technical brainchild possessed the most refined qualities. Curiously, neither Karl nor Gottlieb ever met each other.
The first domestic automobiles appeared in Russia starting in 1911. They were assembled mainly from component units and parts that came from German factories. The cars, it should be noted, were sturdy but heavy to drive.
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