The origins of overlanding may take us all the way to the Australian Outback, yet the 4×4 vehicle that makes the best and most rugged adventures possible had very different beginnings.
The very first 4WD vehicles don’t resemble the robust off-roaders we’re familiar with today. Neither did 4WD design start with the iconic Jeep – their story began much later during the 1940s following development from the US Army Quartermaster Corps according to this brief history.
Read on to discover where the world’s obsession with 4x4s really began, and what the earliest 4WD makes and models looked like.
The first 4×4 wasn’t even a car…
…it was in fact a carriage! It was back in 1824 when the Burstall and Hill Steam Coach made its debut on UK roads. While the very seed of four-wheel-drive technology was there, it was other factors that prevented this steam engine powered coach from making it into the mainstream as Grace’s Guide To British Industrial History details:
“Burstall and Hill’s first steam carriage, built in 1824, failed from the common cause of being cumbersome and exceedingly heavy which, together with the bad road surfaces, resulted in the machinery being shaken to pieces. In an attempt to overcome these problems by experiment they next built a quarter-scale model which they exhibited first in Edinburgh, as this broadside announces, and afterwards in London.”
Diplock took it to the next level
It was another English inventor, Brahma Joseph Diplock, who next took the reins driving on all wheels to improve traction. He predominantly worked on road and rail locomotives to bring his designs to life, with his ‘pedrail’ system (patented in 1899) using tracks, rollers and rails to make light work of tough terrain, including banks, ditches and softer ground.
This 4WD system however went in a different direction, influencing the development of the tracked tank.
The first 4WD car finally appears!
Across the pond, inventors were setting their sights on smaller applications to make the most of 4WD technology.
The very first 4WD car was the Twyford, a single-seated, mechanically powered roadster that was released some six years after the design was first patented. Engineer Robert E. Twyford even invented power steering to ensure the most reliable and robust four-wheel-drive system yet.
The Twyford Motor Company went onto apply this technology to other makes and models, including a four-passenger rig and delivery truck. Despite kickstarting the 4WD revolution in the automotive world, the success of Twyford’s motor company was short-lived. The Twyford Motor Company went into bankruptcy in 1908.
The Cotta-Mobile had the edge
Part of the demise of the Twyford was the fact that a gas-powered four-wheel-drive car was on the scene at exactly the same time. Charles Cotta’s Cotta-Mobile was made entirely from handmade parts, with the self-taught inventor crafting its centrally mounted gearbox, trailing arm system and 4WD steering within the confines of his small machine shop.
The Cotta-Mobile never enjoyed commercial success, instead Cotta sold his patents to the Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, a pioneer that still exists today.
Things just kept getting better
Back in Europe, the 4WD vehicle was shaping up to be more in line with the 4×4 makes and models we’re familiar with today. The front-engine, four-wheel-drive – or F4 – design made its debut in the Spyker 60-HP.
The evolution of 4WD continued, with each prototype building on the concept to deliver even better results. The Daimler Dernburg-Wagen for instance incorporated four-wheel-steering. While the Walter four-wheel-drive truck featured a spur-and-ring gear axle design to ensure the heavy-duty builds that are essential across several industries.
Whether going cutting-edge with your choice of 4×4 or opting for one of these old school pickups, the story of four-wheel-drive technology certainly isn’t over yet.
