Women at the Wheel - Part 3: Pioneering Female Drivers

Last week, we concluded our story about the fortunate women who own and use their own Ferrari with these words: the pride of autonomy that a car, especially a prestigious one, can provide comes from afar. Here we are, and we shouldn't waste words; just stick to the facts. Certainly, the most extraordinary and unique symbol of pride and independence is that of Bertha Benz in 1888. Faced with the constant hesitation of her husband, the inventor and builder of the first automobile, who didn't believe his lightweight horseless carriage could handle a journey after receiving numerous criticisms, she unknowingly took possession of it, along with her two young sons. She stopped at a pharmacy to buy a good supply of fuel—there were no gas stations simply because automobiles hadn't yet been invented, and the pharmacist sold petroleum ether. She traveled the impressive 100 kilometers from Mannheim and Pforzheim, Germany, safely arriving home.