One hundred and thirty-seven years have passed since that memorable day when the German mechanic and inventor Karl Benz rode out of the gates of his house in an incredibly creaky, slow and gasoline-stinking carriage, which, by some unimaginable miracle, moved itself, without the slightest participation of horses. Benz's neighbors did not yet assume that they had witnessed a landmark event - the beginning of the automobile era.

Decades have passed since then, mankind has found a replacement for almost everything that was invented in the 19th century, but the car is still in strongest demand all over the world. Then, at the turn of the century many, many years ago, the leading global brands of the rapidly developing automotive industry were both the well-known Ford, Mercedes-Benz or Renault, and the long-gone Isotta Fraschini, Lorraine-Dietrich or Hispano-Suiza.

And the appearance of cars over almost a century and a half has changed beyond recognition. From clumsy strollers, noisy and smelling of smoke, with thin wheels on spokes and completely unsafe on the road, they have acquired swift streamlined shapes, artificial intelligence to assist the driver, while safety has become a key factor in the design of new models. Safety and beauty, of course.

Bored Panda has compiled for you a special selection of comparison illustrations of what the first or one of the first cars of famous contemporary brands looked like compared to some of their latest models. So please feel free to look at these photos, admire the evolution of engineering and design ideas, and do not forget to scroll to the very end and, of course, write your comments below. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!

#1 Ferrari 125s (1947) vs. Ferrari 812 GTS (2022)

Image credits: Iker Larranaga

#2 Audi Typ B (1910) vs. Audi RS7 Sportback (2019)

Image credits: Dirk Wessner

#3 Jaguar D-Type (1955) vs. Jaguar F-Type R-Dynamic (2021)

Image credits: Hugh Llewelyn

Interestingly, the first actual car thief in history had the same last name as its creator. And indeed, in 1888, Bertha Benz, the wife of the author of the first car in history, behind her husband's back and without informing the local authorities, got behind the wheel with her two teen sons and drove to a neighboring city to visit their relatives.

The journey of Bertha Benz took more than a hundred kilometers and became a real sensation all over the world. You can even say that it was Bertha who drew everyone's attention to her husband's invention, proving that a car is not a toy, but a real vehicle. By the way, during her trip, the woman bought gasoline at local pharmacies, where it was sold as a cleaning agent.

#4 Hyundai Pony (1975) vs. Hyundai Tucson (2022)

Image credits: julio lamadrid

#5 Citroen Type C (1921) vs. Citroen C5 Aircross (2019)

Image credits: gerard

#6 Opel Lutzmann (1899) vs. Opel Mokka-E (2021)

Image credits: opelblog

Eight years after Bertha Benz's memorable journey, the first ticket in the history of mankind for speeding was issued. The historic offender was Briton Walter Arnold, who was driving his car at an unimaginable speed of 8 miles per hour. There were no traffic rules then, so the police fined Arnold as if he was riding a horse-drawn carriage.

#7 Chrysler Airflow (1935) vs. Chrysler 300C Tourer (2019)

Image credits: dave_7

#8 Bentley 3 Litre (1919) vs. Bentley Continental GTC (2016)

Image credits: David Merrett

#9 Dodge Model 30 (1918) vs. Dodge Viper RT/10 (2018)

Image credits: Martin Vahning

By the way, despite the fact that Walter Arnold was the first driver fined for speeding, he never became the first racer in history - after all, the first car race took place a year before his incident. The race was the idea of H.H. Kohlsaat, the publisher of the Chicago Times-Herald.

Hoping to promote this new industry and sell more papers, Kohlsaat announced "A Prize for Motors," with a $5,000 purse for "inventors who can construct practicable, self propelling road carriages." The race was originally planned to run from Chicago to Milwaukee, but bad roads forced a shorter course, and it became a 54-mile course from Chicago to Evanston and back.

The official race was held on Thanksgiving Day in temperatures around 30 degrees Fahrenheit, with 6 inches of fresh snow and drifts of up to 24 inches. Almost 80 entrants had been promised, but only 11 agreed to run in such weather, and just six cars arrived at the start line. Only two entrants finished and the winner of the first race ever was J. Frank Duryea.

#10 Honda T360 (1963) vs. Honda CR-V Hybrid (2018)

Image credits: Kzaral

#11 BMW Dixi (1928) vs. BMW Z4 (2022)

Image credits: Jimmy Baikovicius

#12 Buick Model B (1904) vs. Buick Envision Premium (2020)

Image credits: Steve Brown

Today, the automotive industry continues to evolve as every year there are faster, smarter and safer cars, more and more like futuristic land-based versions of spaceships. But no matter how technically perfect they were, it all started then, one hundred and thirty-seven years ago, in the quiet German town of Mannheim, when Karl Benz, scaring away all the surrounding dogs and to the delight of the neighboring children, rolled out his home-made unit onto the road, marking the birth of a new era.