Motor car
Benz
Category
Carriages & other vehicles
Date
1900
Materials
Brass, Leather
Measurements
2337 mm (Length)2108 mm (H)1371 mm (W)
Order this imageCollection
Tatton Park, Cheshire
NT 1298849
Caption
With leather upholstery and a 3.5 horsepower engine, this 1900 Benz was the cutting-edge technology of its time. Steam engines had been used since the 1700s to power road vehicles, but in 1886 a German engineer, Karl Benz (1844– 1929), patented the world’s first automobile. It used an internal-combustion engine, which burned fuel (petrol or gas) inside the engine, rather than in an external furnace. Benz sold licences for this new technology to other manufacturers, changing transport for ever. This car was bought by motoring enthusiast Maurice Egerton, 4th Baron Egerton of Tatton (1874–1958), in the early 1900s. Egerton (right) bought the ‘M1’ vehicle registration in 1903, the first registration number in Cheshire, for a Darracq racing car. It was transferred to this 1900 Benz ‘Comfortable’ Vis-à-Vis following restoration work by his mechanic in the 1920s. Originally the petrol sat in an open pan under the driver’s seat, until a carburettor was added. The right to use its M1 registration on public roads was sold in 2005 to generate funds for continued conservation and education at Tatton Park. The collection also contains an early electric car made in 1906.
Summary
A Benz, Veteran motor car, made circa 1900. Three and a half horse power, olive green coachwork with leather upholstery and brass accoutrements. Registration number 'M1'. Part of a collection of cars owned by Maurice Egerton, 4th Baron Egerton of Tatton (1874-1958).
Marks and inscriptions
M1 (registration plate)
Makers and roles
Benz, manufacturer