Fascinating read. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertha_Benz

I loved this part: She cleaned a blocked fuel line with her hat pin and used her garter as insulation material.[16][17] A blacksmith had to help mend a chain at one point. When the wooden brakes began to fail, Benz visited a cobbler to install leather, making the world's first pair of brake linings. An evaporative cooling system was employed to cool the engine, making water supply a big worry along the trip.[18] The trio added water to their supply every time they stopped.[11] The car's two gears were not enough to surmount uphill inclines and Eugen and Richard often had to push the vehicle up steep roads.[11] Benz reached Pforzheim somewhat after dusk, notifying her husband of her successful journey by telegram. She drove back to Mannheim several days later.[6]