James May, at the opening of his special exhibit, at the London Classic Car Show. 'Cars that Changed the World'. James is posing on the Mercedes Benz Patent Motorwagen. The first proper 'car' and hence where it all started.
James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is a British television presenter and journalist. He is the co-presenter of the motoring programme Top Gear, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond. May has presented other programmes on themes including science and technology, toys, wine culture, and the plight of manliness in modern times. He wrote a weekly column for The Daily Telegraph's motoring section. The Benz Patent-Motorwagen (or motorcar), built in 1886, is widely regarded as the first automobile; that is, a vehicle designed to be propelled by an internal combustion engine. The original cost of the vehicle in 1885 was $1,000. The vehicle was awarded the German patent, number 37435, for which Karl Benz applied on January 29, 1886. Following official procedures, the date of the application became the patent date for the invention once the patent was granted, which occurred in November of that year. Although Benz's wife, Bertha, financed the development process, and would hold patent rights under modern law, as a married woman she was not allowed to apply for the patent. Benz officially unveiled his invention to the public on July 3, 1886, on the Ringstrasse (Ringstraße) in Mannheim, Germany. About 25 Patent Motorwagens were built between 1886 and 1893.
Size: 5030px × 3554px
Location: ExCeL London, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London, E16 1XL
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: automobile, bbc, benz, car, cars, changed, classic, excel, exhibit, gear, james, london, mercedes, motorwagen, patent, presenter, show, special, television, top, world
