25/06/2008 04:22. In 1882, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach left Gasmotoren-Fabrik Deutz and thus parted with Nikolaus Otto. In Cannstatt, they proceeded to work on a high-speed four-stroke engine with a low weight. The first high-speed four-stroke engine â a small, horizontal experimental engine â was operational in 1883. It developed 0.25 hp (0.18 kW) at 600 rpm. An experimental engine with upright cylinder followed in 1884 and was named âGrandfather Clockâ because of its shape.

In 1885, Daimler and Maybach fitted a scaled-down version of the Grandfather Clock into a wooden two-wheeler, the so-called riding car. In this car, the engine developed 0.5 hp (0.37 kW) at 700 rpm. The riding car was the first proof on wheels that an internal combustion engine was capable of driving a road-going vehicle... // BenzInsider