What kind of car is shown in the picture?

The vehicle in the picture is called the Mercedes-Simplex. It is a 40 hp automobile and is the oldest Mercedes still in existence. It was the direct successor to the 35 hp Mercedes designed by Wilhelm Maybach, which was the world's first automobile of the modern age. The addition of the word “Simplex” related to the relative ease with which it handled during the years of its production.

This classic vehicle (the Mercedes-Simplex) was known for having 4 cylinders, an engine with a 414 cu in displacement, standard output of 40 hp (29 kW), a top engine speed at 1100/min, and a top driving speed of 50 mph. During the height of its great popularity, the Mercedes Simplex was the talk of the town. It was then noted that it inspired Emperor Wilhelm II to come up with a witticism. At the Berlin motor show in March 1903, Wilhelm II told Maybach: "A truly beautiful engine you have here! But it's not as simplex as that, you know."

During the span of its life, this automobile never failed to live up to the public and private expectations held by car enthusiasts and owners.