Replicating a Benz Victoria Buggy

They kicked the horse off the buggy!

By Eric Meyer
Updated on July 11, 2023
article image
by Eric Meyer
The buggy is displayed at shows complete with a book of photos that document the hours of work and dedication put into the replication process.

In the late 1800s, men were busy trying to power a buggy without a horse. At first they tried steam, but that proved to be cumbersome. The engine was small and the steam-generated equipment large and heavy, making it impractical. Although in the early 1860s, Henry Seth Taylor from Stanstead, Quebec, Canada, built a successful steam-powered buggy.

In 1864, an Austrian Jew named Siegfried Marcus was the first to build a petro- or internal-combustion-powered four-wheel vehicle. This was a full 15 years before the better-remembered efforts of Karl Benz and Guttlieb Daimler introduced a four-wheel “Horseless Carriage.” But Marcus’ place in history as the first to build an internal-combustion-powered vehicle was almost lost as after the Germans took over Austria in 1938, they set out to obliterate all accomplishments by German Jews, and Marcus was one. The Nazis ordered his work be destroyed and all records burned. One of his later carriages was hidden behind a false stone wall in the Vienna Auto Club until well after the war. It was retrieved in 1955 after the wall was torn down.

Benz Automobiles

Karl Benz’s 1885 motor wagon is widely regarded as the world’s first production automobile. While there were others around the world working on developing a gasoline-powered carriage, Charles and Frank Duryea are considered the first to successfully build a gas engine vehicle in the United States in 1893.

So when I saw a photo of an 1893 Benz Victoria, I liked it. Around the same time at an Amish auction, I purchased an Ontario grain drill that had 60-inch wheels on it. Then, I found a European buggy cab that had an arched floor. I took apart an International Harvester tedder to use the axle, internal ring and pinion gear for driving it. I refer to the building of this as “Barnyard Engineering.”

After searching the internet for images of Benz Victorias and comparing proportions to determine relative sizes, I hung the cab from the floor joist in my basement and placed the wheels where I thought they should go. Then, I measured to determine how to size the frame.

After the frame was completed, it became a challenge of making and attaching individual parts. Many hours were spent going to lawn sales with my wife. She would look for antiques and primitives for our home, and I would look for steel and rust.

Recreating a Benz Victoria, Piece by Piece

Much time was spent milling, welding, grinding and sanding as each piece was fashioned to look like the original photos. Although the original had hard-rimmed buggy wheels, I preferred the look of the pneumatic tires.

The engine is a Hercules 1-3/4 horsepower hit-and-miss I purchased from eBay. The 3-speed flat-belt-driven “transmission” was welded from individual pieces waterjet-cut to match my drawings, then, aligned and welded to ensure it would run concentric to the shafts. The transmission is engaged by a foot-pedal-activated idler wheel-belt-tightener, which is also adjustable to align each of the three belts by a lever on the steering column. The steering is rack and pinion and a Benz patented tangential steering system. That causes the inner wheel to turn quicker and sharper than the outer wheel, ensuring both wheels will turn through a circle without fighting each other.

I fashioned the sheet metal on the cab and engine compartment and made the 1/2-inch bead by shaping 1/2-inch electrical conduit, splitting it on the band saw and attaching it to the vehicle.

The upholstery was made by shaping foam rubber and covering it with leather from black leather jackets purchased at lawn sales. This was sewn on my wife’s sewing machine. The canvas was also sewn on the home machine using the maximum size thread it would allow.

The braking system was made using an antique emergency brake handle and fabricating levers and rods to influence pads that contact the rear wheels. This works for a top speed of 12mph. I would not want to rely on this type if I was going 80mph!

Another thing I learned during the research for this build is the vertical panel in the front of the buggy cab is called a dasher, which keeps anything that is thrown off the horses hooves from hitting the buggy and its occupants. I think it is the origin of the dashboard in automobiles.

All the great advances of the vehicle and engine performance were done without the use of computers. The men of that era were nothing short of brilliant.

Now that it’s completed, I take it to engine shows, car shows and heritage day parades in area towns.


Eric Meyer was born 100 years too late. Fortunately, his wife, Paula, was as well. They live in the mountains of southwestern New York in a log home they built, primitively decorated by Paula. They appreciate the past and magazines, such as Gas Engine Magazine, that promote and continue to pass on the old ways. Contact Eric at ericmeyer1953@gmail.com.

Originally published as “They Kicked the Horse of the Buggy!” in the August/September 2023 issue of Gas Engine Magazine.

Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-866-624-9388