Siegfried Marcus, a Jewish inventor born in 1833 in Malchin, Germany, was often overlooked in discussions about the history of the car industry. He is known for building the first car powered by a gasoline engine in 1875, around 10-15 years before Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach, and Carl Benz put utility vehicles into service.
Marcus began working as an apprentice mechanic at the age of 12 and later moved to Vienna, Austria, where he worked as a technician and eventually started his own business manufacturing electrical and mechanical equipment. Marcus held 131 patents in 16 countries.
Around 1860, Marcus began building self-propelled vehicles and experimenting with different fuels such as gasoline. He invented the world’s first carburetor in 1864 and built his first vehicle with a 4-stroke gasoline engine that could reach speeds of up to 16 km/h. Marcus continued to improve his designs by adding steering mechanisms, brakes, and clutches to later versions of his vehicles.
Unfortunately, after his death in 1898, Marcus became a victim of Nazi propaganda. His inventions were destroyed, his name erased from educational books, and public memorials to him were dismantled. However, some of his work remains preserved today at the Vienna Technical Museum.
Marcus’ contributions deserve recognition as pioneers in the car industry alongside Daimler, Maybach, and Benz. Despite being overshadowed by these three individuals for many years, Marcus’ legacy continues to inspire future generations of innovators in the field of transportation technology.
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