First cars of the world's most famous car makers

Karl Benz built the first car in 1885, and since then many thousands of companies have sprung up trying to make a name for themselves.

But few have survived and here we take a look at how some of those survivors (plus a few that didn't make it) got started. Sometimes things are a lot more convoluted than you think though, with some companies claiming two (or even three) first cars…

Mercedes-Benz (1886)

This is where it all started – the first company to build a car. Karl Benz built his first car in 1885 and he patented it in January 1886, but the Mercedes name wouldn't be adopted until 1901. That first car (called the Patent Motorwagen, pictured here) had just three wheels and a 0.75bhp 954cc single-cylinder engine, but in 1893 Benz built his first four-wheeler, the Viktoria, powered by a 3bhp 1745cc engine. 

Peugeot (1891)

Peugeot started out in 1842 making salt and pepper grinders before moving into bicycle production 40 years later. Then in 1891 Peugeot built its first car, a four-wheeled machine with a rear-mounted V-twin engine driving the rear wheels via a chain. Just five cars were made in that first year, but this grew to 29 in 1892. By 1900 Peugeot production was up to 500 cars in one year.

Ford (1896)

Henry Ford built his first experimental car in 1896. Known as the Ford Quadricycle, the vehicle would remain a one-off. By 1899 Ford had set up the Detroit Automobile Company which in 1901 was renamed the Henry Ford Company. Within a year Ford had fallen out with his financial backers and he left to set up a new venture in 1903 – the Ford Motor Company.

Renault (1898)

Louis, Marcel and Fernand Renault set up Société Renault Freres in 1899, having already built a prototype 1CV voiturette the previous year. Capable of 20mph, the Type A got an annual facelift until it went out of production in 1903, by which point it was fitted with a 5hp engine in place of the original 1hp unit.

Fiat (1899)

Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino was founded in 1899 and its first factory opened in 1900; that year just 24 cars were made. The company's first model was the 4HP which was initially fitted with a 679cc flat-twin engine; later cars got an 837cc unit. Fiat started out with just 35 employees; by 1908 it had 2700 people on the payroll and was capable of producing 5000 cars each year.

Opel (1899)

Adam Opel set up a company in 1862 to make sewing machines before diversifying into bicycles in 1886. He died in 1895 but his widow and five sons continued the business, introducing their first car in 1899. The engine was a 1545cc 3.5hp single-cylinder unit and buyers could choose from two- or four-seat editions but the car didn't sell well; just 11 found buyers in 1899 and 24 in 1900. Opel became part of General Motors in 1931 which then sold the company to PSA in 2017.

Buick (1899)

America's oldest surviving car maker, Buick was founded in 1899, which is when it produced its first car – although it didn't make a second until the following year, with the third coming in 1903. Initially named the Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company, series production didn't start until 1904; a year later the company was renamed the Buick Motor Company. That first car was the Model B (pictured here) with a 2605cc flat-twin engine rated at 16hp. By the end of the year Buick had sold 37 cars but by 1908 annual production had mushroomed to 8800.

Oldsmobile (1901)

Ransom Eli Olds built a series of experimental and prototype cars in the late 19th century, before launching his first production car in 1901: the snappily named Oldsmobile Curved-Dash Runabout, which featured a 1565cc single-cylinder engine, a two-speed gearbox and chain drive. Despite anything Ford might have to say on the subject, it was Oldsmobile that was the first to offer a mass-produced car, with 425 Runabouts rolling off the production lines in the first year – a figure that jumped to 2100 in 1902.

Cadillac (1902)

When Cadillac was incorporated in 1902 by Henry Leland to make affordable cars for the masses, his initial offering was the Runabout, retrospectively named the Model A, which was facelifted in 1904 to become the Model B. Power (all 10hp of it) came from a 1609cc single-cylinder engine mounted under the rear seat.

Ford (1903)

The Ford Motor Company's first product was the Model A, which went on sale in July 1903 and by the time production ended in October 1904 an impressive 670 examples had been made. Pictured is Henry Ford's great grandson Bill Ford Junior, with the world's oldest surviving Model A, built in 1903 – he bought the car for $264,000 in 2012. The Model A featured a 1645cc flat-twin engine mounted under the rear seat, a two-speed transmission and chain drive.

Vauxhall (1903)

Vauxhall started making marine engines in 1857, when it was called Alex Wilson & Company; the name was switched to Vauxhall Iron Works in 1897. Six years later the first car was made; a 5hp single-cylinder four-wheeler with tiller steering and a two-speed gearbox. Around 70 of these earliest vehciles were made; Vauxhall still owns one which it regularly enters into the London-Brighton run each November.

Rolls-Royce (1904)

Engineer Henry Royce built his first car in 1904, just a month before he met by chance the wealthy aristocrat Charles Rolls. The latter had seen the Royce in action and said to its maker that he would take every car that Royce could make as long as it also had his name on it too. By December 2004 the first Rolls-Royce was ready although Rolls-Royce Ltd wouldn't be founded until 1906.

That first car was fitted with a two-cylinder 1809cc engine but by the end of 1906 Rolls-Royce had already built its first car with an eight-cylinder engine.

Rover (1904)

When Rover created its Safety Bicycle in 1885 it created the modern template for the pushbike. Next came motorcycles (in 1902) then in 1904 Rover built its first car, the two-seater Rover Eight. In production right the way through until 1912, the Eight was fitted with a 1327cc single-cylinder engine that developed a decently gutsy 8hp at 900rpm, but the engine was red-lined at a screaming 1500rpm. Your Range Rover Evoque ultimately started here.

Skoda (Laurin & Klement, 1905)

Skoda grew out of a company called Laurin & Klement which started by making bicycles in 1895, moved into motorcycle manufacture in 1899 then built its first car in 1905. That first car was the Voiturette A (seen here) which was powered by a 1005cc (later 1100cc) V-twin engine that developed 7bhp. Just 55 were made before the Voiturette B took over in 1906 with a 9bhp 1399cc engine.

Lancia (1907)

One of the most innovative car makers ever, it's a tragedy that Lancia is now just about defunct. Founded to build sporting and race cars, Vincenzo Lancia set up his own company in November 1906. His first car was ready for trials in February 1907 but before it had left the workshop the factory burned down taking the car, the drawings and Lancia's tools with it. Seven months later Lancia had a new car built from scratch; 100 examples of the Type 51 would be made, each with a 2544cc four-cylinder engine.

Audi (1910)

August Horch's first car company (founded in 1904) bore his own name, but when he fell out with fellow board members he set up a new company in 1910, called Audi. Its first model was the Type A, fitted with a 2612cc four-cylinder engine. Just 140 examples were made before the Type B arrived in 1911.

Alfa Romeo (1910)

Launched in 1910, Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili realised that it really needed a snappier name; ALFA was the result. After Nicola Romeo took the company over in 1915 it was renamed Alfa Romeo in 1918, and its first car was the Torpedo 20-30. However, ALFA's first car was the 4.1-litre 24HP, seen here, which remained in production until 1914.

Morgan (1910)

Harry (HFS) Morgan opened a garage in Malvern to sell and service cars. By 1909 he'd built his own car for his personal use; a year later he put his three-wheeler into production. The first cars were single-seaters but these were never going to be very popular in the marketplace, so by 1911 Morgan's three-wheeler was available with either two seats or four. Power came from a 961cc JAP V-twin engine.

Chevrolet (1913)

Although Louis Chevrolet set up his company in 1911, his first car wasn't sold until 1913. Introduced at that year's New York Auto Show, the Chevrolet Type C (or Classic Six) was pretty impressive with its six-cylinder engine and three-speed gearbox. But it was costly compared with rivals, which is why Chevrolet quickly introduced a four-cylinder model to compete.

Dodge (1914)

John and Horace Dodge set up shop in 1901 to produce bicycle components before moving into car parts supply in 1903; very quickly virtually their entire output was for Ford. Seeing that Ford was producing more and more parts in-house they decided to go it alone with their own car which arrived in 1914. Offered only as a five-seat tourer, Dodge's car featured a 35bhp 3480cc four-cylinder engine and a three-speed gearbox. By 1916 Dodge was America's fourth best-selling brand of car with over 70,000 made in that one year.

Aston Martin (1915)

The first Aston Martin, named Coal Scuttle, was built in 1915. Following Coal Scuttle and the Great War, three more prototype cars were built including one called Bunny, but none of these cars survive. By 1921 Aston Martin was ready to start selling cars and its first production model featured a 1496cc four-cylinder engine. Just 69 were made before the company went bust – and not for the last time. The car pictured is the oldest surviving Aston Martin, chassis number 3, now owned by the Aston Martin Heritage Trust.

Mitsubishi (1917)

Founded as a shipping firm in 1870, Mitsubishi didn't build its first car until 1917. Just 22 of these leviathans were built, each powered by a 2765cc four-cylinder engine. Capable of seating seven, the Mitsubishi Model A was based on the Fiat Tipo 3 with a front-mounted 35hp engine that drove the rear wheels and could take the car to 60mph.

Bentley (1919)

Walter Owen (WO) Bentley and his brother Horace sold cars before WW1, but in 1919 they set up Bentley Motors to make and sell sporting carriages for the well heeled. The company's first car was ready for delivery in 1921; by 1930 Bentley had won the Le Mans 24 Hours five times. Bentley's first model was the 3-Litre, 1622 of which were produced between 1921 and 1929, each with a 2996cc four-cylinder engine with four valves per cylinder.

Citroën (1919)

Throughout WW1 André Citroen's factory was c