This Day

May 8, 1879 – George Selden files US patent for the automobile

George B. Selden driving an automobile in 1905

When patent lawyer George B. Selden first filed with the US Patent Office for an internal combustion engine on May 8, 1879, it included the application of the device on a four wheel vehicle. Selden named it the Road Engine. He developed this idea some eight years before the introduction of the Benz Patent Motorwagen

in Germany. He continued to file many amendments to his application, which delayed the process 16 years. He finally received a patent for his engine and car in 1895. 

Selden found inspiration for his invention after viewing a huge engine developed by George Brayton on display at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876. In 1878 he succeeded in producing a one-cylinder, 400-pound version of an internal combustion engine that featured an enclosed crankshaft. He was assisted by Rochester machinist Frank H. Clement and his personal assistant William Gomm. 

Once he received the patent Selden didn’t immediately begin automobile production, in fact he didn’t ever build the vehicle from his patent. He instead sold patent rights and charged royalties to automakers in the blossoming industry. However, in 1906 he did start to build cars of his own under the name Selden Motor Vehicle Company. Eventually Ford and a handful of other car companies found themselves thrown into patent infringement lawsuits. Due to this lawsuit, Selden built his first and only version of his patent wagon. Ford eventually won the case

after an appeal, in a case that lasted nearly a decade. The patent expired the following year. 

Brian Corey

Recent Posts

November 20, 2011 – Famed Ferrari designer Sergio Scaglietti dies

Scaglietti, left, in his body shop Sergio Scaglietti opened Carrozzeria Scaglietti, an auto repair and…

2 days ago

November 19, 1959 – Ford announces the end of Edsel

Too much money. Too much hype. Too much of the same old thing. Designed to…

2 days ago

Rare 1955 Mercedes Truck for Sale

This 1955 Mercedes-Benz 170 S-D Diesel pickup truck appears to be an exceptionally rare find,…

2 days ago

November 18, 1960 – End of the line for DeSoto

1961 DeSoto Less than a week after Chrysler acquired Dodge Brothers, it debuted its new…

4 days ago

November 17, 1986 – The Assassination of Renault CEO Georges Besse

Georges Besse (Renault) On this day in 1986 Georges Besse, the 58-year-old CEO of French…

5 days ago

November 16, 1904 – The history of auto theft in Los Angeles begins with first recorded stolen car in the city

1905 White steam car. Not the first stolen car, but similar. This one is known…

6 days ago