Mercedes Built the First Car… Ever.

That’s right. The first automobile anywhere ever was a Mercedes. Some might object by saying there were other motor powered vehicles before the Benz, and they’d be right. But the Benz Patent-Motorwagen was the first one designed to use an engine for propulsion. It was also the first one to bet patented. So, legally, it’s the first one.

It wasn’t exactly a speed demon with about 2/3 hp, but later models were able to hit a blistering 10 mph. They might not have been faster than a horse and carriage, but they were definitely less smelly.