<p>In 1886 German engineer Karl Benz invented a petrol-powered automobile that became the first production motor vehicle. Steam and electric cars already existed but they were slow and cumbersome, and the internal-combustion engine revolutionised the industry. Only a decade or so later, drivers of all three types of car were battling for the outright speed record but progress was slow and it took until 1904 before Frenchman Louis Rigolly reached ...