Although there is much controversy over who the inventor of the first petrol-powered automobile actually is, German engine designer and automobile engineer, Karl Friedrich Benz, is considered father of the first petrol powered motor vehicle. While other inventors also worked on the same invention, Karl Benz was the first to patent his work , in 1878, thus labeling him as the inventor of the gas run automobile. In 1885 Benz designed, and created, the very first commercial automobile. His creation, a three wheeled automobile ran on gas and was called the 'Motorwagen'. As well as having just three wheels, the 'Motorwagen' reached a speed of eight miles per hour and had a very basic steering wheel which was chained to the front axle. Among other things, Benz also invented the carburetor, the clutch, the spark plug and the gear shift. By the 1920's the automobile was being reproduced and used around the globe.
