how old is the car?

[henk4]

This year the Pebble Beach concours celebrated 125 years of the Automobile, and subsequently attributed the start of the car age to Benz and Mercedes.

Today I received this announcement from RM, dealing with a car that was at Pebble Beach a couple of years earlier...

RM AUCTIONS

[Ferrer]

The Germans..., always believing they've invented everything...

[W.R.]

If we're talking steam, then we can date back to the Cugnot fardier à vapeur from 1770, 'twas the Germans who invented the internal combustion engine though.

[henk4]

Originally Posted by Ferrer

The Germans..., always believing they've invented everything...

the reason for this " history error" might also have been that Mercedes was considered to be a far better sponsor for PB than De Dion Bouton.....

[Ferrer]

Yeah well, it's difficult being an sponsor when you have sort of disappeared...

Maybe we could revive the brand just to annoy Daimler?

[NSXType-R]

I've always wondered when the layout was perfected- 3 pedals (all in the right order), steering wheel, 1 shifter, 1 emergency brake.

Top Gear did something on it, but was it really was Cadillac that had the modern layout?

[TVR IS KING]

Originally Posted by W.R.

If we're talking steam, then we can date back to the Cugnot fardier à vapeur from 1770, 'twas the Germans who invented the internal combustion engine though.

That's just it. The car as we know it, powered by internal combustion, was a Mercedes thing. Steam vehicles were around much earlier, and no doubt steam-powered horseless carriages as well.

[Revo]

Originally Posted by TVR IS KING

That's just it. The car as we know it, powered by internal combustion, was a Mercedes thing. Steam vehicles were around much earlier, and no doubt steam-powered horseless carriages as well.

It isn't as simple as that.

1863 Hippomobile - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Then there was a gasoline powered mobile from 1870:

Siegfried Marcus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Siegfried Marcus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Siegfried Marcus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oh, and one more thing. Unlike what a popular myth suggests, Mercedes-Benz IS NOT the oldest automotive manufacturer still active.

Originally Posted by NSXType-R

I've always wondered when the layout was perfected- 3 pedals (all in the right order), steering wheel, 1 shifter, 1 emergency brake.

Top Gear did something on it, but was it really was Cadillac that had the modern layout?

Yes, it was a Cadillac. But Austin Seven was the first mass-market car to be fitted with a "conventional" control layout.

[Matra et Alpine]

Originally Posted by NSXType-R

Top Gear did something on it, but was it really was Cadillac that had the modern layout?

look at Series 10 - Episode 8 and all is revealed IIRC

[NSXType-R]

Originally Posted by Revo

Oh, and one more thing. Unlike what a popular myth suggests, Mercedes-Benz IS NOT the oldest automotive manufacturer still active.

Yes, it was a Cadillac. But Austin Seven was the first mass-market car to be fitted with a "conventional" control layout.

So what's the oldest auto manufacturer? Tatra? Renault? Peugeot?

Originally Posted by Matra et Alpine

look at Series 10 - Episode 8 and all is revealed IIRC

Thanks about the clarification about the Cadillac. Top Gear isn't known for factual accuracy, so I thought they might not have been truthful with the modern switchgear car.