Siegfried Marcus, an Austrian inventor, made history in 1875 when he built the first car using a gasoline engine. Despite being overshadowed by pioneers like Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach, and Carl Benz, Marcus’s contributions to the industry are significant and deserving of recognition.

Born in 1833 in Malchin, Germany, Marcus began his career as an apprentice mechanic and later worked as a technician in Vienna. He eventually started his own business manufacturing electrical and mechanical equipment, obtaining 131 patents in 16 countries due to his talent for inventing.

Around 1860, Marcus began building self-propelled vehicles powered by gasoline. He discovered that this fuel could ignite and create explosive energy when dispersed in air. In 1864, he created the world’s first carburetor and continued to refine his designs until he built a vehicle equipped with a 4-stroke gasoline engine that could reach speeds of up to 16 km/h.

Despite his early successes, Marcus’s legacy was tarnished by Nazi propaganda leading to the destruction of his inventions and the removal of his name from educational books. However, some of his work is preserved and displayed at the Vienna Technical Museum. In 1898, Marcus passed away but his contributions to the car industry live on through historians and enthusiasts who recognize him as one of the pioneers that laid the foundation for modern automobiles.