Carl Benz' automobile sure has come a long way. Seen here is a new model Mercedes-Benz on show in Montreal in 2011. (QMI Agency)

"I believe in the horse. The automobile is just a temporary phenomenon," Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II said after hearing about the first automobiles. Flash forward 125 years and Germany is the place for car aficionados to be in 2011.

It was in Baden-Wurttemberg that the forerunner of the modern automobile was invented in 1886. A host of special events are planned to celebrate the landmark anniversary. Many will pay tribute to engineering geniuses Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, who invented automobiles with internal combustion engines. Though inventors before them had also worked on the concept, it is Benz and Daimler who are often credited with creating the car as we know it. (Contrary to popular belief, American Henry Ford did not invent the car, but popularized it by making it affordable through mass production.)

It's a coincidence that Benz and Daimler -- who both hailed from southwest-Germany but had never met -- came up with similar ideas independently and almost simultaneously. Their two companies merged in 1926 to form Mercedes-Benz.

Anniversary events range from car shows and rallies to driving tours -- even an original Car Symphony:

-- Retro Classics is billed as an "outstanding" exhibition of classic cars and toys. March 10-13 at Neue Landesmesse in Stuttgart.

-- Legends: 125 Years of Automobiles will feature vehicles of the past, present and future on May 7-8. Following a two-day rally to historic auto sites in Baden-Wurttenberg, vintage autos will be on display in the Stuttgart citycentre. Concept cars will be shown at the Legends of Tomorrow exhibition at Palace Square.

-- From June 9-13, drive through 125 years of auto history from Schorndorf (Daimler's hometown) to Fellbach for a glimpse of the future at the Virtual Dimension Centre. Getaway packages include transportation by classic car, the Swabian Forest "Waldbahn" steam train or horse-drawn carriage.

-- Retro Classics Meet Baroque -- classic cars will be displayed against the backdrop of the former palace of Ludwigsburg. A highlight of Automobile Year 2011 will be a motorcade from Ludwigsburg Palace to the New Palace in Stuttgart, June 24-26.

-- See the world's most successful racing cars and motorcycles at the Solitude Memorial, July 22-24. From 1903 to 1965, the Solitude Races were one of the main attractions of the Stuttgart area. This summer the Solitude Ring will once again be in use for the first time in 46 years. Highlights include the Solitude Grand Prix Revival and the Solitude Drive Parade of more than 200 vehicles.

-- Beuren Open-Air Museum will host a gathering of cars, tractors, motorcycles and other historic vehicles, Aug. 20-21.

-- The Premium Cars of Southern Germany is self-drive tour to major auto locations -- Ingolstadt, Munich and Stuttgart -- in BMW, Mercedes, Audi or Porsche cars. Along the way, drivers can stop at car museums and other attractions.

-- Autosymphonic, a musical-visual extravaganza in honour of the car, will be staged Sept. 10 in Mannheim.

Behind every great man

Could Carl Benz have invented the automobile without his wife Bertha?

We'll never know for sure. But we do know that before they were married, she invested her dowry in her fiance's business, ensuring development of his invention. As a public relations stunt to show how reliable and exciting the new automobile could be, Bertha took the Patent Motorwagen No. 3 out for a 106-km drive to visit her mother. It was the first long-distance drive in a car!

Along the way, she filled up with Ligroin (a petroleum-based cleaning fluid) at a pharmacy in Wiesloch; got a blacksmith to fix a broken chain and unblocked a fuel pipe with a hat pin. Bertha wasn't just a makeshift mechanic, she was an investor, a publicist, a driver and perhaps the first car critic (after the trip she told Benz the vehicle required an extra gear to climb hills). Way to go Bertie!

Drivers can retrace Bertha's route from Mannheim to Pforzheim and take in beautiful scenery, delightful towns and historic spots, such as the site of the world's first gas station and pharmacy in Wiesloch (still open) where Bertha stopped to refuel.

More wheely fun things

-- Automuseum Dr. Carl Benz in Ladenburg: The former home of Carl Benz contains the Benz Patent Motor Car Model III, dating to 1888.

-- The Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart has 1,500 exhibits. The audio guide covers four themes: Fundamentals, Contemporary Events, Engineering and Children's Channel.

-- Porsche Museum, Zuffenhausen: Among the 80 vehicles on display are the 356, 550, 911 road cars and the 917 sports racing car. Other exhibits include some of professor Ferdinand Porsche's technical achievements from the early 20th century.

-- Technoseum, Mannheim: The hands-on State Museum for Technology and Work covers 200 years of industrial, technological and social history in one of the world's most important hi-tech regions.

-- Mercedes-Benz Classic Center, Fellbach: Displays include cars from the Daimler, Benz, Mercedes and Mercedes-Benz brands that were made more than 20 years ago. Or tour the Sindelfingen factory (must book four weeks in advance) to see a new Mercedes being made.

-- V8 Hotel im Meilenwerk has themed suites, some with beds shaped like a Cadillac or a Mercedes-Benz

-- Check automobilesummer2011.com or Stuttgart-tourist.de. Transat Holidays has an a la carte holiday package that include air, rental car and hotel in Stuttgart. Check transatholidays.com.

writer@interlog.com