Gottlieb Daimler

Daimler initially trained as a gunsmith before shifting to engineering.

After periods working in Britain, France and Belgium, Daimler was made technical director at Deutz AG - Nikolaus August Otto’s firm. At the factory in Cologne, Daimler teamed up with young engineer, named Wilhelm Maybach, to develop the internal combustion engine for propelling road vehicles.

After a disagreement with Nikolaus Otto, Daimler and Maybach quit and started up the Daimler motor Company. They focused their efforts on producing the first lightweight, high-speed engine to run on gasoline. Eventually they developed a carburettor that vaporised the petrol and mixed it with air. Daimler’s new engine raced to 900 revolutions per minute – nearly seven times faster than Otto’s machine.

In 1886, Daimler and Maybach attached their revolutionary invention to a four-wheeled horse carriage and harnessed its incredible power. It reached 10mph. Not much, you might think, but as the world’s first ever car, Daimler’s show was now on the road.