Car History. 08 The Dream of Benz

 In 1863, when Daimler was just becoming acquainted with Maybach, at the main gate of Karlsruhe Polytechnic in Germany, a young man was riding out on a bicycle. He was a kind-looking and attractive man who had studied under the famous professor Ferdinand Redtenbacher (1809.7.25 – 1863.4.16) at the Polytechnic.

He was speeding down the road on a velocipede fitted with solid rubber tires. On the same road, carriages and large steam cars were puffing out black smoke from their chimneys. The young man skillfully maneuvered between the massive steam cars, riding with acrobatic movements. Those bulky steam cars could not catch up with him and only fell farther and farther behind.

At that time, steam cars could overtake a man riding a velocipede, but if the boiler pressure rose too high, there was always the risk of an explosion. So, they could not drive at maximum speed.

As he observed all this, he imagined making the large internal combustion engines he had seen at the Polytechnic into a much smaller size, attaching them to a small vehicle like his bicycle, and creating a light and nimble automobile. This thought became his lifelong project, and during his years at the Polytechnic, he began conceptualizing an internal combustion engine far more powerful than those that already existed.

This man, ahead of his time, riding a velocipede while dreaming of the future, was Karl Benz, then 18 years old.

Karl Benz (Karl Friedrich Benz) in his youth.

Benz. At the mere mention of this name, everyone on earth thinks of the finest automobiles.

The revolution of mobility that realized humanity’s greatest dream—the automobile—began with the stories of Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz. Benz, aiming for the highest quality cars, adopted the slogan “Das Beste, Oder Nichts” (“The best or nothing”). Well known as a luxury car maker, Daimler-Benz also gained a reputation as the symbol of safety with innovations such as the crumple zone, the commercialization of airbags, and ABS.

Before its merger with Daimler, Benz’s emblem was a laurel wreath. But after World War I, when the two companies merged, a new emblem was created: a circle engraved with a laurel design and the company name, with a three-pointed star placed inside.

In 1933, the new Benz emblem was introduced—a three-pointed star inscribed in a thin circle. It remained in use for 56 years, until 1989, when a slightly thicker-bordered version was introduced. The triangular emblem remains Benz’s emblem today. The three points of the star symbolize the sky, the sea, and the land, and later came to represent “prestige,” “wealth,” and “reliability.”

One of the founders of Benz & Cie., Karl Benz, was born on November 25, 1844, in Karlsruhe, which at the time was part of the Grand Duchy of Baden. His parents were Johann George Benz, a railway driver, and Josephine Vaillant. He was named Karl Friedrich Michael Vaillant at birth.

When Benz was two years old, his father tragically died in a railway accident, and his name was changed to Karl Friedrich Benz in memory of his father. Despite poverty, his strong and resourceful mother supported the household by running a boarding house and strove to give him a good education. Thanks to his mother, Benz attended elementary school and the Polytechnic School in Karlsruhe, where he showed interest and talent in technical fields such as photography and clockmaking.

Originally, Benz aimed to become a locksmith, but he eventually followed in his father’s path and studied locomotive engineering. On September 30, 1860, at the age of 15, he took the entrance exam at the Polytechnic in Karlsruhe. He studied under Professor Ferdinand Redtenbacher and graduated on July 9, 1864, at the age of 19.

At this point, we should briefly discuss Professor Ferdinand Redtenbacher.

Ferdinand Redtenbacher became a professor of mechanical engineering at the Polytechnic in Karlsruhe in 1841. He elevated the department to international renown. While working at the Polytechnic, Redtenbacher became known as the founder of scientific mechanical engineering and taught the spirit of mathematical experimentation at the university.

As a result, nearly all engineers of the time carried out scientific research based on mathematical experimental methods.

This scientific spirit of experimentation later became the foundation and great driving force for Benz in creating the gasoline engine of his dreams. Through this professor’s influence, an entirely different and powerful type of engine from those of Daimler and Benz would one day emerge into the world.

Professor Ferdinand Redtenbacher, Benz’s teacher.