The first ever car journey

In 1888 Karl Benz and his friends built the first horseless carriage. He didn't take it far though because he wasn't confident in it.

His wife was made of stronger stuff though. She took her two sons to visit their grandmother 66 miles away without telling him. En route she cleared a blocked fuel pipe with a hairpin, bought some fuel (she never knew what it was) from a chemist's shop and got a cobbler to re-line the brakes with leather.

We have come a long way since then! Here are just a few of the cars that blazed the way for the fast reliable machines we nearly all own today.

Arrol Dogcart Image

Arrol Dogcart

The first British production car.
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Australian Six Convertible Image

Australian Six Convertible

The car that ALMOST started Australia's car industry.
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Cadillac Model 30 Image

Cadillac Model 30

The first USA car to offer weather protection.
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Fiat 16-24HP Image

Fiat 16-24HP

Fiat's first car that actually LOOKED like a car and not a cart.
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Lancia Alpha Image

Lancia Alpha

Lancia's first non-racing production car.
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Mercedes Simplex 40HP Image

Mercedes Simplex 40HP

Mercedes' 1902 racing legend.
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Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout Image

Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout

The first American car built on an assembly line.
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Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Image

Rolls Royce Silver Ghost

The car they couldn't break.
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Spyker 60HP Image

Spyker 60HP

Europe's answer to Rolls Royce.
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Stanley Runabout Image

Stanley Runabout

It ran on wood, paraffin, even whale oil!
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Stutz Bearcat Image

Stutz Bearcat

The first American sports/racing car.
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