Benz Patent-Motorwagen on display at Mercedes-Benz World Exhibition, KL Base, Sungai Besi from 5 to 7 July
Tourists visit Mercedes-Benz World taking place at KL Base now until Sunday, July 7, there will be no shortage of new metal to see, with Mercedes-Benz Malaysia showcasing a wide range of Mercedes-Benz and AMG vehicles at the event, including a trio of newly launched AMG models, C 63 SE Performance and face lift GLA 45 S 4Matic+ And GLB 35 4Matic.
With all the luxury cars on display, it’s easy to overlook the car at the entrance, an obvious oddity in today’s world, simply because it doesn’t look like anything you’d associate with a car, at least from today’s perspective.
But the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, as it was called, was the car that started it all, not just for the brand, but for everyone. The three-wheeled mechanical car, with its brass fittings, 1.0-litre single pot and massive horizontal flywheel stabiliser on display for the world to see, must have shocked those who saw it in 1886, and the truth is, it still does today. Tarnation! Seat belts? Suspension? Steering?
It’s hard to imagine driving it much further down the road, but inventor Karl Benz’s wife Bertha did, and more. Without telling her husband, she took part in a truly historic field trip from Mannheim to Pforzeim with Patent-Motorwagen No. 3 in 1888, which really brought a lot of attention to the car and its manufacturer. What a clever woman.
The car on display at the event is of course a replica, and the conservator is MBM, who have had it on display for many years at the company’s offices, back when they called Menara TM their home. The car has been put on public display at Mercedes-Benz World, so if you want to see what history – and the car that started it all – looks like, head down to the display at KL Base in Sungai Besi this weekend. Entry to the event is free.
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