Karl (Carl) Benz.
This question does not have a straightforward answer. The history of the automobile is very rich and dates back to the 15th century when Leonardo da Vinci was creating designs and models for transport vehicles.
There are many different types of automobiles - steam, electric, and gasoline - as well as countless styles. Exactly who invented the automobile is a matter of opinion. If we had to give credit to one inventor, it would probably be Karl Benz from Germany. Many suggest that he created the first true automobile in 1885/1886.
Below is a table of some automobile firsts, compiled from information in Leonard Bruno's book Science and Technology Firsts (Detroit, c1997) and About.com'sHistory of the Automobile.
AUTOMOBILE FIRSTS
| |||
Inventor
|
Date
|
Type/Description
|
Country
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot (1725-1804) | 1769 | STEAM / Built the first self propelled road vehicle (military tractor) for the French army: three wheeled, 2.5 mph. | France |
| Robert Anderson | 1832-1839 | ELECTRIC / Electric carriage. | Scotland |
| Karl Friedrich Benz (1844-1929) | 1885/86 | GASOLINE / First true automobile. Gasoline automobile powered by an internal combustion engine: three wheeled, Four cycle, engine and chassis form a single unit. | Germany Patent DRP No. 37435 |
| Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler (1834-1900) and Wilhelm Maybach (1846-1929) | 1886 | GASOLINE / First four wheeled, four-stroke engine- known as the "Cannstatt-Daimler." | Germany |
| George Baldwin Selden (1846-1922) | 1876/95 | GASOLINE / Combined internal combustion engine with a carriage: patent no: 549,160 (1895). Never manufactured -- Selden collected royalties. | United States |
| Charles Edgar Duryea (1862-1938) and his brother Frank (1870-1967) | 1893 | GASOLINE / First successful gas powered car: 4hp, two-stroke motor. The Duryea brothers set up first American car manufacturing company. | United States |
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