Benz & Cie. does not build many cars like the Benz Viktoria: a Phaeton with 1730-2915 cc single-cylinder, built from 1892 to 1900 when the motor car was still a public experiment.
The story
The Benz Patent-Motorwagen Viktoria is the name by which 4-wheeled cars produced by Benz & Cie. from 1892 to 1900 came to be known because they were modelled on a Victoria horse-drawn carriage. Several variants were produced, which bore names including Vis-à-vis, Phaeton, Landaulet and Mylord because they were modelled on the corresponding horse-drawn carriage.
What is underneath
Under the skin sits 1730-2915 cc single-cylinder. Kerb weight is 650 kg. The gearbox is a 2-speed, 3-speed available later. The layout matters: the engine hangs behind the rear axle, a layout that gives ferocious traction out of a corner and a reputation to match on the way in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
Where it sits in Benz & Cie.'s history is not in doubt: the Benz Dos-à-Dos followed it; it was built at Mannheim. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Panhard & Levassor P2D phaeton, the Panhard & Levassor P2C phaeton. Nearby in the Benz & Cie. catalogue sit the Benz 10/18 PS and the Benz 10/20 PS.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Benz Viktoria has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.