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Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz, inventors of the modern car engine.In 1885, Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz, invented the automobile engine independently of each other. However, Frenchman Nicolas Joseph Cugnot created the first steam-powered car in 1769. But it was Daimler and Benz who invented what is considered the modern gas-powered auto. -
An early example of Karl Benz's automobile.The Daimler-Benz engine paved the way for mass-production of the automobile, pioneered by Henry Ford, that led to the demise of the horse as transportation and allowed people to travel to far destinations. -
The Chevrolet 265-cubic-inch V-8 engine, the standard American powerplant.The internal combustion automobile engine converts gasoline or diesel into a gas to propel pistons that forces a crankshaft to turn, which in turn moves the wheels. -
The 6.1-liter Dodge Charger SRT8 engine.The gas and diesel auto engines have evolved from a simple 4-stroke, 4-cylinder engine, to straight 6 cylinders, and then progressively climbing in cubic inch displacement and power with the 8-cylinder Ford V-8, the hemispherical "Hemi" V-8, and V-10s and V-12s. -
The Vauxhall racing engine is one of dozens of different types of racing motors.The Jaguar XKE Series 3 4.2-liter V-12 engine typifies a powerplant designed specifically for speed, with the engine displacing 427 cubic inches, hitting 0 to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds. - A straight 6-cylinder engine has all cylinders in one row at the top of the engine, while the V-8 engine has two banks of 4 cylinders each at a 90-degree angle.
- Dutch astronomer Christian Huygens invented an early internal combustion engine in 1680 using gunpowder.
