Siegfried Marcus

Life & Legacy

Siegfried Samuel Marcus (German: [ˈziːkfʁiːt ˈmaʁkʊs]; 18 September 1831 – 1 July 1898) was a German engineer and inventor, born in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. He made the first petrol-powered vehicle, a handcart, in 1870, while living in Vienna, Austria. Marcus created a second vehicle in 1888/1889, but it is not known if he used it, and he did not develop it further. Marcus' vehicles had no influence on the development of cars, and his experimental vehicles were regarded by some journalists as "impractical". However, Marcus is credited with developing the ignition magneto used in spark-ignition engines.