Carl Benz built the world's first automobile in 1885
Born on November 25, 1844, German engineer Carl Benz developed the world's first petrol-powered automobile in 1885. Benz's motor car could reach a top speed of 16 km/hour, while averaging around 10 km/litre. Patented in 1886, the two-seater wagon had a single-cylinder four-stroke engine installed at the rear which had to be started manually by rotating a circular steel frame.