The horizontally opposed "flat twin" engine was designed and patented by Karl Benz in 1896, who named it the Kontra engine. The water-cooled engine ran on benzine and ligroin (heavy naphtha). Power was transmitted to the rear wheels by a pulley and belt.
Around twenty-five of the Benz Patent-Motorwagen tricycles were constructed in the years 1886 to 1893. Bertha Benz, Karl's wife, financed the venture. Bertha took the tricycle on a road trip from Mannheim to Pforzheim, her hometown, and back, a distance of 194km, thus becoming the world's first long-distance motorcyclist.
Many years later, Benz merged with Mercedes to become Mercedes-Benz.
Emil Jellinek (b. April 6, 1853) was a talented and influential man, and distributor for Daimler and Maybach. He named his cars after his daughter, Mercedes, and later took her name, signing documents as Emil Mercedes. His father was a rabbi. Hitler's favorite car was Jewish.
N.B. Bertha was accompanied by her two sons Richard and Eugen (aged 13 and 15) on the road trip, so they were the world's first passengers. She stopped at a pharmacy in Wiesloch to buy ligroin for the vehicle, effectively making the store the first petrol station. A Wikipedia article elaborates on this, and further demonstrates the woman's remarkable qualities.
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