Benz Antique, Vintage and Classic Cars For Sale

Benz Company History (Continued from top)

1885 Benz Patent Motorwagen  

Karl Benz designed the first truck in 1895 and patented the first internal combustion engine in 1896. But gasoline was hard to come by so its use was limited to mostly static uses. Benz built several tiller-steered cars in the 1890s but they had many problems and the limited availability of gasoline made them difficult to sell.

When Karl Benz retired in 1903 his son, Richard, became the chief designer and the 1904 Benz sold well. But retirement didn't suit Benz so he started a new company, Benz Sons, with his other son, Eugen, two years later to produce cars and gas engines. In 1912 Karl Benz retired once again and left the company to his sons.

Karl Benz' primary rival was Daimler Motors and over the years he tried to put together a merger several times to no avail. However in 1924 they finally signed an agreement to share parts and technology while keeping their respective brands. And then in 1926 they finally merged as the Daimler-Benz company. Daimler had been building the Mercedes since 1900 and after the merger they agreed to market all their vehicles under the Mercedes Benz logo. The logo featured a three pointed star surrounded by laurels from the Benz logo. Karl Benz died in 1929.