Marcus’ Cart of 1870

The Marcus Cart of 1870 was the first vehicle powered by a gasoline engine.

The first motorized vehicle attributed to Siegfried Marcus, the Marcus Cart of 1870, marked a revolutionary moment in automotive history as it became the earliest vehicle propelled by a petrol-powered internal combustion engine. Constructed on a simple handcart frame, the vehicle required the drive wheels to be lifted off the ground and manually spun to start the engine. The engine itself was designed to run on liquid combustibles, making Marcus the first inventor to use petrol to power a vehicle. Although groundbreaking, Marcus was dissatisfied with the machine’s performance and dismantled it shortly after its creation. Nevertheless, the cart’s innovative design captured attention and was showcased at the Vienna Exhibition in 1873, cementing Marcus’ legacy as a pioneer of automotive engineering.