Who Built the First Automobile Engine?

An automobile is a mode of transportation that has its own motor and can carry passengers or cargo. The automobile engine has evolved through the years from engines that used steam to the common gasoline-powered engines of today.

Steam Power

In 1769, Nicolas Joseph Cugnot of France created a road vehicle that was powered by a steam engine. Cugnot's engine needed to stop periodically to build up steam pressure for power.

Electric Spark

In 1858, Jean Joseph Etienne Lenoir of Belgium created an engine that was ignited by an electric spark. Lenoir's internal-combustion engine was fueled by coal. Lenoir used his engine to power a wagon in 1863.

Modern Automobile Engine

In 1864, Siegfried Marcus, an Austrian engineer, built a one-cylinder engine with a crude carburetor. Marcus put his engine on a cart and achieved speeds of 10 mph. Marcus' engine is considered the precursor to the modern automobile engine.

Reitwagen

Gottlieb Daimler built in 1885 what was essentially the prototype of the modern engine. Daimler's engine had a vehicle cylinder and had gas injected through the carburetor. He called his two-wheeled automobile the Reitwagen.

First Patented Engine

Karl Benz was the first inventor to earn a patent for a gas-fueled engine. He patented the four-stroke, internal-combustion engine that powered a three-wheel vehicle in 1886. Benz started Benz & Co., which was the world's largest automobile manufacturer in 1900.