1901 Benz Ideal 7hp Twin Cylinder Contra Motor

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1 1901 Benz Ideal 7hp Twin Cylinder Contra Motor Extremely rare and highly coveted by collectors worldwide with only a small number of examples even remaining in private hands. As far we are aware this is only the second time since the War for an Ideal Contra Motor to have been offered for sale. Painstakingly restored with the utmost attention to detail. History would suggest this is an opportunity unlike to arise again for a very long time. The name Benz has to be the most significant name in all of motoring history. So strong and rich is its heritage that the Benz legacy still lives on with one of the most revered and dominant names in the entire motoring and motorsport industry. The first successful incarnation of the internal combustion engine is generally attributed to the German engineer Carl Benz. Born in Karlsruhe on 25 November 1844, a talented engineer, he joined forces with 'mechanician' August Ritter to found his first company, 'Carl Benz and August Ritter, Engineering Workshop', in Mannheim in By 1878 Carl Benz was running the company alone and concentrated all his efforts on a gas-driven two-stroke engine to realise his vision of a 'vehicle without horses'. After long and laborious attempts, he gets the engine running for the first time on New Year s Eve in Having founded the 'Gasmotorenfabrik Mannheim' (Mannheim Gas Engine Factory) as a shareholding company in October 1882 Carl Benz demonstrated the full extent of his talents in developing the vehicle. With his two-stroke engine too large and too heavy to be installed in a vehicle, he put all his efforts into the four-stroke principle and instead of installing his engine in an existing vehicle, he designed his motor car as an integrated independent construction.

2 Benz s innovative design was a three wheeler where the primary assembly is the engine with a horizontal cylinder and large, horizontally mounted flywheel. Testing began in October On 29 January 1886, he took a step of historical significance when he submitted a patent application for his vehicle with gas engine operation to the Imperial Patent Office. The patent specification for DRP is recognised today as the birth certificate of the automobile and bears the name Patent-Motorwagen ( Patent Motor Car ) for the world s first automobile.

3 By 1892 Benz cars had four wheels and the Vélocipede (Vélo) introduced in 1894 had a single cylinder producing 1.5hp. The Vélo was the best selling car of its day. Engine refinements resulted in 3.5hp being produced in This highly successful engine was to remain the backbone of production for Benz cars through to As one would expect, Benz added models to their range over time, but most adhered closely to the Vélo theme. Introduced in 1898 one of those models was the Ideal. A term self explanatory in many languages as ideal for those who wanted to get from point A to point B without a horse. New for the Ideal was the fact the body or coachwork now sat on top of a flat platform or chassis rather than the undulating frame of its predecessor. Across from the two main seats were two additional seats in a vis-à-vis format and in front of that a small bonnet. The Ideal also featured an intermediary mechanical gearbox, connected to the engine via a belt and to the wheels via a chain final drive. Solid tyres were still utilised in 1900, and the Ideal had an effective wheel suspension system with full elliptical front and rear springs as well as a full transverse elliptical spring at the front. Towards the end of its production the ultimate iteration of the Ideal was produced with the impressive two-cylinder engine. The design consisted of two standard Benz bores and heads horizontally opposed and sharing the same crankshaft and crankcase, effectively making it the first ever Boxer Engine. Named the Contra Motor it had a combined capacity of 2,090cc and while it added some weight to the car, this was greatly overshadowed by the the fact it produced nearly twice as much horsepower. With its relatively lightweight frame the new twin cylinder Ideal had a claimed top speed of 50kph. This stunning example is one of what is believed to be only six or seven examples left in existence. Two of which are owned by Mercedes Benz themselves. As far as we know, only one of these incredibly rare and sought after cars has been sold since the Second World War.

4 The current owner, himself a highly regarded and long standing member of the Veteran and Edwardian car world, purchased this car as an unfinished restoration project from early Rolls-Royce expert and historian John Faisal ten years ago. Knowing the current owners passion for rare early cars, John had contacted him about the project. As described the car was leant together as a restoration project. The project had been purchased from VCC member John Trett by Paul Makisimczyk. John had bought the project at the time accompanied by a single cylinder engine from Paul Foulks-Habard in the early 1980 s who had it mistakenly described as an Orient Express. Either John Trett or Mr. Makisimczyk must have recognised the project for what it really was and Paul Makisimczyk asked fellow VCC member John Firth to look out for a correct Contra Motor engine for the car. John attended a Cheffin s auction of an agricultural museum in Hexham. This complete engine and flywheel was mounted on a stretcher assembly, presumably to make it easier to move around, as can be seen here. The engine was purchased at the auction by well known and respected collectors of early vehicles, the Ward brothers.

5 It was from the Ward brothers that this engine was purchased by Mr. Makisimczyk and subsequently united with the rest of the car before selling it John Faisal at Beaulieu in September When the current owner purchased the car from John Faisal the chassis was sat together with its original rear wheels, the twin cylinder engine - still sitting on its stretcher - springs and spring hangers, gearbox internals and final chain drive, starting handle mechanism and shaft (specific to a twin cylinder example), steering and much more. Having convinced John to sell him the project he set about the meticulous, nine year restoration of the car. Not a project taken lightly, he travelled to Mercedes to study their two cars. All of the metal work in the car was carefully restored and reused. The woodwork in the chassis was sadly beyond repair, so the wood sections of the chassis were replaced and the wheels were restored by the same company who maintain the Queen s coaches. The engine, numbered both 87 on the crank case and the crank shaft was fully rebuilt. Intending to run the car on petrol he sourced an original Edwardian bronze Benz carburettor that had apparently been running on a boat. In its day, the Benz would have run on spirit through a surface carburettor. Recently the owner has finally managed to replicate one of these surface carburettors with the correct butterfly throttle assembly and this is with the car to be fitted if desired. With the gearbox internals intact, they were restored and a new gearbox case was made. A new gear for the final chain drive was manufactured and the original remains with the car. Great lengths went into the details of the bodywork and a stunning leather and cloth hood was produced utilising the original pram irons. The attention to detail and experience that has gone into this restoration is clear to see. Registered as a 1901 example with the help of the VCC this is a very rare opportunity to acquire a beautifully restored example of one of the most sought after early automobiles in existence. As far we are aware this is only the second time since the War for an Ideal Contra Motor to have been offered for sale, and history would suggest this is an opportunity unlike to arise again for a very long time.