Taking an old car through a fast-food drive-through usually isn’t much of an adventure… unless it’s one built to replicate the machine widely regarded as the world’s first practical automobile.
That was the idea behind a recent TFLclassics YouTube video featuring an 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen replica. The plan sounded simple enough: get the primitive three-wheeler running, drive it to McDonald’s, order something, and head home.
Almost immediately, the trip became a reminder of how far automobiles have evolved over the past 140 years. The Benz has exposed mechanical components, barely any braking capability by modern standards, and a top speed that feels far more dramatic from the driver’s seat than the number suggests.
Even reaching the restaurant turned into an accomplishment. What happened once the Benz finally entered the drive-through made the whole experiment even stranger.
Driving It Is Nothing Like A Modern Car
The replica was built in the 1980s by Bentley Engineering after detailed measurements were taken from an early Patent-Motorwagen. TFLclassics says examples like this are rare and can cost around $50,000.
Its controls are wonderfully primitive. A lever controls how much engine power reaches the wheels through a belt, while steering is handled with a tiller rather than a conventional steering wheel.
The single-cylinder engine spins at only a few hundred rpm, and the car’s quoted top speed is around 10 or 11 mph. During the test, however, the crew briefly saw 15 mph on a GPS-based speedometer app, which they described as surprisingly alarming.
Stopping is arguably the bigger concern, as the braking system uses what is essentially a fabric band tightened around a drum, giving the driver considerably less confidence than even the weakest modern brakes.
The First Attempt Didn’t Even Reach McDonald’s
Keeping the Benz running proved just as difficult as controlling it. Its lubrication and cooling systems are effectively total-loss designs, meaning oil and water are consumed or lost as the vehicle operates.
The ignition system also relies on a 6-volt battery that cannot recharge itself from the vehicle. Partway through the first journey, the car lost power and eventually refused to restart.
The duo traced the problem to the ignition system, ending the McDonald’s attempt before they ever reached the restaurant. After roughly two weeks and repairs to the coil, they returned for another try.
McDonald’s Decided It Wasn’t A Car
The second attempt went considerably better, as the Benz survived the short drive and eventually joined the queue at the McDonald’s drive-through, where its loud single-cylinder engine and exposed flywheel made it impossible to blend in with the surrounding traffic.
When the crew attempted to order a sweet tea, however, the employee asked them to come inside instead. After being told the vehicle was a car, the employee responded that it was not and classified it as a bicycle after viewing it on the drive-through camera.
That was enough to end the experiment, and the duo declined to go inside because doing so would have defeated the purpose of testing whether the Patent-Motorwagen could complete a modern drive-through run.
The irony was difficult to miss. After nursing a replica of one of the most historically significant automobiles ever built all the way to McDonald’s, the mission failed, but not because it broke down, overheated, or blocked traffic. Nope, they were turned away because the drive-through apparently didn’t consider it a car.