It’s up close that you discover its true meaning. The Motor Car was the first car model sold by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) – and in 1892 it was a highly exclusive affair. Considering the number actually produced, that is almost an understatement. After all, six years after the invention of the automobile, only a few select customers were able to enjoy this innovative mode of transport. By 1895, DMG had built just twelve Motor Cars. Nevertheless, it was a start.
The vehicle – which looks simple from today’s perspective with its box-shaped body and open bench seat on four wooden wheels, the front ones slightly smaller – sent out a strong signal, and its name said it all. It looked like a carriage and yet did not need harnessed horses at all. Thus, even in this early phase of development, automobility as a prominent form of locomotion became clear. This fascination immediately gripped important decision-makers.
130 years ago, it was an illustrious clientele that was interested in this innovative mode of transport. “Sultan, Morocco” was the very matter-of-fact first entry in the DMG order book in 1892: as the company’s first customer, Mulai al-Hassan I received a Daimler Motor Car.
The ruler of Morocco from the Alawid dynasty reigned from 1873 to 1894. Before he received the innovative vehicle from Cannstatt, he appeared before his subjects on noble horses.
The top speed may not have been much from today’s perspective. But 130 years ago it was not only a speed as such, but also proof of the combustion engine’s efficiency. Mulai al-Hassan I was apparently so enthusiastic about this that he did not stop at the Motor Car: he also received a boat with the new motor drive from DMG on 31 August 1892. Topping this impressive level of innovation was scarcely imaginable at that time.