Even before Henry Ford launched his Model T German engineers were also busy designing and patenting engines powered by gasoline.

Karl Benz invented the first gas engine in Germany in 1885 and was granted the patent on 29^th January 1886. Gottlieb Daimler with Wilhelm Maybach patented the first motorbike in 1885. In 1870, Siegfried Marcus a German-Austrian inventor built a motorized handcart, although this did not go beyond the experimental stage.

The 1885 Daimler - Maybach engine was fast, lightweight and small. It used a gas-injected carburetor. The size and speed of the engine allowed for revolution in car design. On March 1886, Daimler took a stagecoach and adapted it to work with his engine, thereby designing the world's first four-wheeled motorised vehicle

Daimler’s a V-slanted two cylinder, four-stroke engine became the basis for the future of all car engines. In 1889, Daimler and Maybach built their first automobile from scratch. It had a four-speed transmission and went up to speeds of 10 mph.

Daimler and Benz sold their first motor vehicle in 1892.

Since that time cars and engines have come along way. Today we are now seeing interest in technologies from 100 years ago being adapted and renewed to power today’s modern extremely powerful and fast engines. These include: water hybrid cars, hydrogen cars and bio-fuel cars.