First Car Ever Made

 The broad definition of the term 'car' makes it quite difficult to answer one of the most intriguing questions in the world of automobiles - which was the first car ever made. If we go by the definition which states that a car is a motor vehicle with four wheels, it also includes cars with steam engines. Add the phrase 'usually propelled by an internal combustion engine' to this definition, and the concept of a car gets a whole new meaning. When trying to find out the answer to what was the first ever car made or when was it made, you need to take the different definitions of the term 'car' into consideration.

 Which was the First Car Ever Made?

The history of the automobile industry can be traced back to a toy car built by Ferdinand Verbiest - a Flemish Jesuit missionary, for the Chinese emperor way back in 1672. Even though the steam powered vehicle built by Verbiest didn't facilitate human transportation, it was the first self-propelled vehicle in the world. It took more than a century for the development of a vehicle which could facilitate human transportation, which was developed only in 1769. This time the credit went to the French inventor - Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot, who invented a vehicle which could facilitate human transportation for the services of French army.

 It took another century for internal combustion engine equipped vehicle to make its debut in the world of automobiles. In the meanwhile, the decade of 1830s marked the invention of an electric vehicle, which was developed by the Scottish inventor - Robert Anderson from Scotland. The fact that this crude vehicle was powered by non-rechargeable primary cells proved to be a major hindrance in its promotion, as the heavy maintenance that this vehicle required kept people away from it.

 First Vehicle with Internal Combustion Engine

Eventually, Karl Benz introduced the first ever vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine in 1885, and got a patent for it in the following year. Benz's invention was powered by a four-stroke cycle gasoline engine. A self propelled vehicle with an internal combustion engine! Doesn't that qualify to become the first car ever made? While many people regard Benz's invention as the first car invented, others are of the opinion that it was a three wheeled vehicle which meant that it didn't fit in the definition of a car. That being said, the first proper car was developed only in 1889.

 First Four Wheeled Car Internal Combustion Engine

The credit for the invention of the first four wheeled vehicle with an internal combustion engine - something which would ideally fit in the definition of a car, goes to Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. The duo invented this four-speed transmission vehicle in 1889. It was equipped with a Daimler-Maybach engine, which was developed by the duo themselves in 1886. The engine was one of the most remarkable inventions of that era, as it led to the invention of a full-fledged car unlike the previously attempted modification of existing vehicles powered by steam and electricity.

 That covered one of the most interesting chapters of automobile history - the invention of the automobile, with special emphasis on when was the first ever car made and who developed it. That being said, you are more likely to come across different sources giving different answers. While some sources would say that it was Karl Benz - who invented the first ever car, others give the credit to Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot. At the end of the day what matters is the definition of a car, and going by the definition the credit for the invention of first car ever made goes to none other than the duo of Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach.