1899 Benz Velo

Description

The image you see is a scan which may show some slight distortion of line, fill, colour or text when you expand it. The prints themselves have no distortions.

Karl Friedrich Benz (1844-1929) was a German engine designer and automobile engineer. In 1893 he created the Victoria a two-passenger automobile with a 3-hp engine, which could reach 11 mph. It had a pivotal front axle operated by a roller-chained tiller for steering. 85 units were sold in 1893. His 1885 Benz Patent Motorcar is considered the first practical automobile. He received a patent for the motorcar on 29 January 1886. The Benz Velo was introduced by Karl Benz in 1894 as the follow up to the Patent Motorwagen. 67 Benz Velos were built in 1894 and 134 in 1895. The early Velo had a 1L 1.5 hp engine and later a 3 hp engine giving a top speed of 12 mph (20 km/h). The Velo was officially introduced by Karl Benz as the Velocipede and became the world’s first large-scale production car. The Velocipede remained in production between 1894 and 1902, with a final count of over 1,200 produced. It was the first car introduced to South-Africa and was demonstrated to then President Kruger in January 1897. During the last years of the nineteenth century, Benz was the largest automobile company in the world with 572 units produced in 1899 at Mannheim, Germany. The Benz Velo participated in the first automobile race, the 1894 Paris to Rouen Rally. The image is of a VELO not an IDEAL marked on the print which was produced the following year.