Opel Patentmotorwagen

Friederich Lutzmann is a person who draws attention again and again in his life, because he carried out the one or the other idea. At this he lacks not, but sometimes of experience and economic thinking. His most important idea for the history of Opel's factories is that of the automotive engineering, when he buys in 1893 a Benz Viktoria and use it as a cab (taxi).

With just a few, partly experienced workers of his locksmith he reconstructs these car within a year, whereby the method to produce everything on his own, still results in many deviations from the original. In addition, he has to change some detail protected by patent, e.g. the axle pivot steering of Benz.

In the course of history cars are created of various sizes up to the 16-seater, but all with the same engine. The company is fairly successful and in 1897 stands next to Daimler and Benz on the first motor car exhibition in Berlin. As it compete there for the second time the following year, although it is not particularly successful during a race, but the Opel brothers decide for it anyway.

The automobile production of Friedrich Lutzmann will completely taken partly with workers from Dessau to Rüsselsheim. Lutzmann himself is given the position of head of the development. He constructed a smaller engine and also changed a few other details. A year later, the actual date of the first Opel automobile, albeit created with the Lutz's patents.

To make it short, the company Opel will not be happy with this constellation. With approximately 65 pieces just as many vehicles are built (and sold) as Lutzmann has also been produced to date. Perhaps Opel's quality demands are for him too high, is the development of the automobile at that time too tempestuously or there are now too many competing companies.

The Patentmotorwagen can not keep up in its development. It is indeed successful in races, but the two older Opel brothers are not blind professionally blinkered. An important element of their company policy will be the continuous comparison with its competitors, particularly wherein the foreign countries (especially France) has a special role.

Those have taken the car with much more enthusiasm and drive faster forward their industrialized production. Opel separates with high total financial losses of Lutzmann, the will be not financially very successful in his further life until his death in 1930. 04/09