This Benz Patent-Motorwagen replica was manufactured by John Bentley and Sons Engineering, LTD in North Yorkshire, England. The firm was contracted by Daimler-Benz in 1986 to build several replicas for the 100th anniversary of the first automobile, and they continued building replicas until the company was dissolved in 2016. This example was purchased by the selling dealer in 2017 and has since been used as a display piece in their showroom. The car is constructed of tubular steel and wood and is equipped with a 954cc single-cylinder engine linked to the rear wheels via a leather belt, idler and drive pulleys, and two drive chains. Features include a spring-mounted seat upholstered in black leather and a tiller-style steering system. This Patent-Motorwagen replica is now offered by the selling dealer in Oxford, England, with a bill of sale.
Carl Benz developed his three-wheeled Motorwagen in his Mannheim, Germany, workshop and was later granted a patent for a vehicle powered by a gas engine. John Bentley and Sons Engineering replicated the original Patent-Motorwagen with tube steel frame construction. Steel pieces are finished in black, and brass hardware is used to affix the wood floor platform and seat assembly to the frame.
Steel spoked wheels are wrapped in solid rubber tires, and the front wheel is mounted to a fixed, unsprung fork. The rear suspension consists of elliptic springs on each side of the rear axle. Braking is via the large hand lever next to the seat, which also controls forward drive. To slow the car, the lever is pulled backward to apply pressure to the countershaft drive pulley. The steering tiller pivots the front wheel via a toothed gear that pushes or pulls a linkage arm to turn the wheel.
The carriage-style bench seat is upholstered in buttoned black leather and is mounted to a sprung steel frame trimmed in wood.
The 954cc single-cylinder engine replicates Carl Benz’s design and produces approximately two-thirds of a horsepower. Equipment includes a counter-weighted crankshaft, an intake valve controlled by an eccentric rod, and an exhaust poppet valve opened by a cam disk, rocker arm, and pushrod. The engine uses a drip oiling system as well as an evaporative cooling system using water from a reservoir. Engine speed is controlled by a sleeve valve that allows the fuel drip to be increased or decreased. The selling dealer has not attempted to start the engine, and it is unknown whether the engine runs.
A leather belt transfers power from the engine-mounted drive disc to an open disc on a drive shaft beneath the seat, which can be manipulated by the hand lever to control forward drive or to shift the drive belt to an idler pulley. The driveshaft transfers power to the rear wheels through chains on either side of the rear axle. The selling dealer notes that this 1:1 scale replica is meant for display purposes only.
The selling dealer has provided overview videos above and below.
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