New release by Scale Figures
Karl Friedrich Benz (Carl Benz) 1:18
limited to 50. SF118009
Karl Friedrich Benz (Carl Benz) 1:18
limited to 50. SF118009
Carl Benz was born the son of an engineer on November 25, 1844 in
Karlsruhe. His father died when Carl was barely two years old. Despite
being relatively poor, his mother ensured he had a good education. Carl
Benz attended high school before going on to study at a technical
college in Karlsruhe under the tutorship of Ferdinand Redtenbacher. This
course of study was followed by a two year traineeship at a mechanical
engineering company in Karlsruhe. Whilst he was there, Benz gained basic
experience in all areas of work.
His first employment followed, as a draftsman and
designer at a scales manufacturing factory in Mannheim. When he lost
his job in 1868 he moved to the "Gebrüder Benckiser Eisenwerke und
Maschinenfabrik" company which was concerned mostly with bridge
construction. His interest in motor vehicles was sparked, as so often is
the case, by the bicycle.
His employment at Benckiser was followed by a short period spent working in Vienna, also at an iron construction firm.
In 1871, the technically-minded Benz founded his
first company in Mannheim with a mechanic by the name of August Ritter.
The workshop had a typical Mannheim address: T 6, 11. It was, however,
soon to become clear that Ritter was not a very reliable partner. It was
only with the help of his fiancée, Bertha Ringer, that Benz was able to
overcome this obstacle. Without further hesitation she paid in her
dowry to buy Ritter out of the business.
In 1872 Bertha Ringer and Carl Benz were married.
Bertha Benz emerged as a crucial player in the future success of the
fledgling company and undertook the world's first long-distance journey
in an automobile. Carl and Bertha Benz had five children: Eugen (*1873),
Richard (*1874), Clara (*1877), Thilde (*1882) and Ellen (*1890).
Carl Benz's business did not enjoy the best of
fortunes at first. For example, his "Iron-foundry and mechanical
workshop", which Benz later renamed "Factory for production of
metal-working machinery" had its tools confiscated by the bailiffs.
During this period Carl Benz concentrated on developing the two-stroke
engine, in order to find another way of earning a living.
After two years of development his first
stationary engine finally spluttered into life on New Year's Eve 1879.
It was a two-stroke model as the company Gasmotorenfabrik Deutz had
already been awarded a German patent for the four-stroke version in
1877, thanks largely to the work of Nikolaus August Otto.
Benz received several original patents for
perfecting his two-stroke engine, which he worked on until he achieved
series production standards. For example, one of these patents was
awarded for the engine speed regulation system. He used his
newly-developed battery ignition system to induce combustion in the
engine.
With new investors and partners in the Mannheim
court photographer Emil Bühler and his brother, a cheese merchant,
together with the financial support of the banks, Benz converted the
company into a joint-stock company in 1882 and called the company
"Gasmotoren-Fabrik Mannheim". Carl Benz had a mere 5 percent stake in
the company, was "only" classed as director and was not the main
supplier of ideas. His partners in the firm were also trying to exert
increasing influence on his designs and a combination of these factors
led Benz to leave the new company by 1883.
Later that year Benz found a different source of
financial support in Max Rose and Friedrich Wilhelm Eßlinger who ran a
shop in Mannheim which sold, among other things, bicycles and who Benz
met through his interest in cycling. In October the three men founded
the company "Benz & Co. Rheinische Gasmotoren-Fabrik". The workforce
soon expanded to 25 men and the company grew to the point where it was
even able to grant licenses for the production of gas engines. Benz
could now devote himself one hundred percent to the development of his
car engine. Financially secure, he took a different route from Daimler,
who installed his engine into a carriage, by first designing a complete
vehicle in which he could house his four-stroke gasoline engine.
In 1886 he was granted Patent 37.435 for the
vehicle and unveiled his first to the public. Between 1885 and 1887
three versions of the three-wheeler were designed: the Model 1, which
Benz donated to the Deutsches Museum in 1906, the Model 2, which was
probably altered and rebuilt several times, and lastly the Model 3 with
wood-spoked wheels which Bertha Benz took on the first long distance
journey in 1888.
By 1886 the existing production facilities could
no longer cope with the insatiable demand for stationary engines and
"Benz & Co. Rheinische Gasmotoren-Fabrik" moved to a larger factory
building in Waldhofstrasse in which motor vehicle engines were
manufactured until 1908. The appearance in 1890 of new partners,
Friedrich von Fischer and Julius Ganß, marked the growth of "Rheinische
Gasmotoren-Fabrik" into Germany's second-largest engine factory. In 1893
Carl Benz introduced the axle-pivot steering system into automobile
construction and in 1896 he developed the "contra" engine which was to
become the precursor to today's horizontally opposed engine.
Between 1894 and 1901 the Benz "Velo" was built
at Benz & Co. It was a reasonably-priced, light automobile for two
people which signaled the breakthrough to higher sales and, with a total
production unit figure of some 1200, can be legitimately described as
the first series production car. As the turn of the century approached
Benz & Co. had grown into the world's leading automobile
manufacturer.
In 1899 the firm was converted into a joint-stock
company. Julius Ganß joined Carl Benz on the Board of Management
becoming the member responsible for commercial matters. The vehicle
construction workforce grew from 50 in 1890 to 430 by 1899. In this year
alone Benz built 572 vehicles.
On January 24, 1903 Carl Benz announced his
retirement from active work within the company, taking a seat on the
Supervisory Board. His departure was the result of internal wrangling in
the company caused by the management's decision to employ a group of
French designers in the Mannheim plant, with the aim of facing up to the
competition from Mercedes.
Carl Benz's two sons Eugen and Richard also left
with him, although Richard returned to Mannheim in 1904 as passenger car
production manager. By the end of the year sales of Benz motor cars had
reached 3480.
In 1906 Carl Benz founded in Ladenburg and, with
his son Eugen, became the joint owner. At first, they planned to build
naturally aspirated gas engines. However, times were changing quickly
and demand for this type of engine dwindled. This necessitated a change
of tack to vehicle construction and by 1923 some 350 "Carl Benz Söhne"
vehicles had been produced. In the meantime, the Benz family had
relocated to Ladenburg.
In 1912 Carl Benz left the company as a partner,
leaving his sons Eugen and Richard to run the business alone. The
company expanded further and branched out into other markets, for
example into England where the "Benz Söhne" vehicles were often employed
as taxis and where their reliability earned them great popularity. In
1923 the last vehicle was built, followed only by two 8/25 hp vehicles a
year later which Carl Benz kept for his own business and personal use.
He enjoyed using both cars and never sold them. They have been preserved
right up to the present day. In contrast to Gottlieb Daimler, who died
in 1900, Carl Benz was there to witness the blossoming of motorization
and to see the products of his inspiration.
He died on April 4, 1929 in his home in
Ladenburg. Today this house is used by the "Carl Benz and Gottlieb
Daimler Foundation" as their headquarters and as a location for a range
of events.
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