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Best Cars Of 1901 – The Greatest Cars In The World This Year

1901 was an important year for the automotive industry overall. Technological advancements and innovations lead to the creation of some really great cars that which proved to be the driving force for the automotive industry to grow. This was also the year where the automobile industry was dominated by the US, with no notable competitors.

In Europe, German engineers, Wilhelm Maybach and Paul Daimler who were working for Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, built the first modern motorcar in all essentials, the Mercedes 35 HP. A significant advancement over the previous generation of automobiles, which were modified stagecoaches, the Mercedes 35 HP is regarded as the first modern car. It was equipped with a powerful petrol engine, it was both wider and larger with a tailored steel chassis, and its center of mass was near the ground.

Even though the Mercedes 35 HP was originally designed as a racing car, they further developed for normal road use which led to the development of its passenger version called the Mercedes 35HP Phaeton. This is also the year when the first hybrid vehicle was built, the Lohner-Porsche Phaeton. And, because of the trend set by these two important cars we also ranked them as the best cars for the year 1901.

Related: Don’t forget our best car hub where you can find the top cars for every year.

Our Favorite Cars for the 1901 Model Year

1901 Mercedes 35HP Phaeton

The Phaeton was the passenger car version of the first 35HP Race-Car which won many French racing events. This is probably one of the first race cars that was adapted for road use. Also during the same period, Mercedes developed a 12/16HP model along with the cheapest, 8/11HP model. Learn more…

1901 Lohner-Porsche Phaeton

With its future-oriented electric motors in the wheel hubs, the Lohner-Porsche was acknowledged as the absolute sensation at the Paris World Fair in 1900. On loan from the Technical Museum in Vienna, Austria, this outstanding achievement in technology protected today as a universal monument will be seen the first time outside of Europe at the 2007 LA Auto Show. Learn more