An exact replica of the first ever motorcycle has been constructed and is now set to sell for £15,000.
The wooden contraption is in full working order and is a homage to the seminal Daimler Reitwagen, which was built in 1885.
The master craftsman, who is not named, created the Reitwagen replica by looking at detailed drawings and photographs of the original.
His replica is the closest anyone will ever get to the Gottlieb Daimler’s engineering accomplishment, as the original was destroyed in a workshop fire in 1903.
An exact replica of the first ever motorcycle has been constructed and is now set to sell for £15,000 (pictured). The prototype model employed a steel-reinforced timber frame, iron-tyred cart wheels and a horse-type saddle
Having completed the build in 2015 and enjoyed the fruits of his labour for two years, the builder and owner has now decided to cash in on the unusual collector’s item by consigning it for auction with Bonhams.
An auction house spokesman said: ‘The Reitwagen was the first modern motorcycle and thus of great historical significance, so it’s no surprise that someone was compelled to build a replica.
‘There is an even greater demand for examples such as this because the original was destroyed in a fire, so no one will ever get their hands on it.
‘The build of the one we’re selling now has been completed to an exceptional standard, the craftsmanship is quite incredible.
‘It would have taken countless man hours and endless dedication to complete.
‘Something like this will be of interest to any motorcycle enthusiast as well as those interested in the early history of vehicle production.’
The wooden contraption is in full working order and is a homage to the seminal Daimler Reitwagen, which was built in 1885 (shown, the rear wheel and a light fixed to the front stem)
German industrial designer Daimler, whose name is famously linked with that of Benz, is often called ‘the father of the motorcycle’ for the Reitwagen.
In the early to mid-1880s he and ‘the king of designers’ Wilhelm Maybach built a 264cc, 0.5hp air cooled engine.
It was not powerful enough to propel a four-wheel vehicle as the pair had envisaged so instead they installed it in a handbuilt two-wheeled test frame.
The prototype model employed a steel-reinforced timber frame, iron-tyred cart wheels and a horse-type saddle.
Stabiliser wheels were fitted either side because no rider’s feet would have been able to reach the ground.
On November 10 1885, Daimler’s 17-year-old son Paul made history by completing the first journey by motorcycle when he rode the Reitwagen on a 7.5-mile round trip from his father’s workshop.
The motorcycle was kept at Daimler’s factory in Cannstatt, a city district of Stuttgart, until 1903 when a fire tore it apart and destroyed the Reitwagen.
The Reitwagen replica will be sold at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, in Hampshire on September 2.
The Reitwagen replica will be sold at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, in Hampshire on September 2