Opel Patentmotorwagen System Lutzmann
Opel's first Rüsselsheim car looked like a carriage, but its hidden single cylinder began a new chapter for the company.
Opel Patentmotorwagen 5.jpg · Torana · CC BY-SA 3.0
More than a set of wheels.
After the Opel family bought Friedrich Lutzmann's motor-car factory, the first Opel Patentmotorwagen System Lutzmann left the Rüsselsheim works in spring 1899. Its tall wheels, open body and engine beneath the seat still belonged to the carriage age, yet it gave Opel practical experience with engines, transmissions and complete vehicles. Opel says 65 were hand-built. The design quickly fell behind newer French ideas, so the Lutzmann era ended in summer 1901, but those short production years established the Rüsselsheim automobile operation from which Opel's later mass-market cars grew.
Look a little closer.
Its top speed was only about 20 km/h, roughly a brisk bicycle pace, yet it was Opel's first automobile built in Rüsselsheim.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
Why the first Opel still resembled a carriage
Lutzmann began with familiar coachbuilding ideas: high wheels, an upright open body and the engine placed under the seat. That made the machine understandable to craftspeople used to carriages, but it also limited how far the layout could develop. Opel's own history says cooling, power transmission and new bodies could not keep it competitive after the turn of the century, so the company looked to newer French designs.
Source: Opel · Rüsselsheim's First: The Opel Patentmotorwagen System Lutzmann ↗What belt drive did
The two-speed transmission did not send power through a modern driveshaft. Instead, a belt transferred rotation to the rear axle. A belt could be simple and quiet, but it was less direct and durable than later shaft-and-gear systems. The Patentmotorwagen therefore captures a moment when carmakers were still testing which mechanical ideas from workshops, bicycles and industrial machines belonged in the automobile.
Source: Opel · Power & Grip: 120 Years of Automobile Production ↗How to read its driver controls
Do not expect a modern instrument cluster. The surviving Patentmotorwagen photographed at Rüsselsheim has exposed pedals, a prominent hand control and a compact mounting beside the driver. Those photographs are excellent evidence for shape and placement, but not enough to name every unlabeled lever or prove that each piece matches the spring-1899 car. Joyride therefore shows the controls clearly while limiting functional claims to Opel’s documented two-speed transmission and belt final drive.
Source: Wikimedia Commons · Opel Patentmotorwagen 16 ↗Where these facts come from
- Opel · Rüsselsheim's First: The Opel Patentmotorwagen System Lutzmann
- Opel · Made in Germany: 120 Years of Automobiles
- Opel · Power & Grip: 120 Years of Automobile Production
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 1, 2026.