Four-Wheel drives that made a difference

1902 Cotta:

"No road too slippery, muddy, sandy, nor icy. Will travel anywhere, no matter what condition, the weather or the road." It's been 95 years since Charles Cotta placed this ad in the December 1, 1902 issue of Cyclone and Automobile Journal. Was this America's first 4x4? Very likely. It's definitely one of the earliest. Cotta's Touring Car was steam-powered and featured chain drive, full elliptic springs, and tiller steering. It's unclear how many were built, but Cotta sold his design and went on to found an empire manufacturing truck transmissions.


1907 Duplex Model B:

This 3/4-ton Duplex Model B was probably the first 4x4 truck to be offered commercially. This first unit was built in 1907, and similar models were available through 1915. The model B had a 14 HP horizontally opposed two-cylinder engine, a three-speed transmissions, and a single-speed transfer case. It used a spur and ring gear drive system that mounted differentials on top of a solid beam axle. Power to the wheels was via short driveshafts and Spicer U-joints. Spur gears at the axle ends drove ring gears on the inside of the wheels. Duplex built large numbers of 4x4 trucks, and was the first to use a dual-range transfer case in 1915. Duplex remains in business in Ohio.


1908 FWD Steam Car:

In 1908, Otto Zachow and William Besserdich built this four-wheel drive steam car in Clintonville, Wisconsin. This experimental 4x4 used the first practical American application of a steerable driving front axle design. With the help of a local layer, Walter Olen, Zachow, and Besserdich began the Badger Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, later becoming the Four Wheel Drive Auto Company and even later simply FWD. The steam car was tested in the winter of 1908 before a body was installed. Besserdich is behind the wheel, with Zachow standing behind him.


1909 FWD Battleship:

After the steam engine proved troublesome, Zachow and Besserdich installed a 60 HP, 423 CID Continental gas engine and a gorgeous maroon touring body. Nicknamed the "Battleship," it traveled around the Midwest offering a $1,000 prize to any car that could follow it cross-country. In three years and 12,000 miles, nobody won the money. Fifty years later, the Battleship traveled around the USA in celebration of FWD's half-century and even bested Jack Benny's 1914 Maxwell in a drag race down Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. The Battleship survives in running condition at the FWD museum in Clintonville's Pioneer Park.


1917 FWD Model B:

Laying in a muddy trench and loading the last five rounds into his Springfield rifle, the American Doughboy smiled at the sight of this FWD Model B ammo truck. Production of the FWD Model B began in 1912 and continued to about 1930. The Model B has a 55 HP Wisconsin 389 CID four-cylinder, basically the same engine that powered the famous Stutz Bearcat. It has full-time four wheel drive, with a locking center differential and a Morse chain in the transfer case. The cast-iron 36-inch wheels and solid 6-inch rubber tires weigh 450 pounds apiece. This 1917 Model B is a genuine World War I veteran and resides at the FWD museum in Clintonville.


1919 Nash Quad:

The Quad was first built in 1913 under the Jefferey nameplate. After Charles Jefferey, president of the Thomas B. Jefferey Company, survived the sinking of the Lusitania, he sold the company to Nash in 1916. The Quad was built until 1928. It was powered by a four-cylinder Buda 312 CID engine that cranked out 37 horsepower. It had a four-speed trans, a single-speed transfer case, and spur-and-ring gears for the wheels. The diffs used an early self-locking differential, called the M&S; one to two revolutions of a slipping wheel would automatically lock the diff. This restored 1919 Quad belongs to Bruce Rice of Snohomish, Washington. (Photo courtesy Bruce Rice.)


1936 Marmon-Herrington:

Marmon-Herrington produced a large number of 4x4 innovations. One of them was this adaptation of a 1/2-ton '36 Ford pickup. M-H pioneering the practical conversion of 4x2 trucks in 1935 and turned it into a lucrative business. In 1936, acting on a request from the Belgian government, they converted a half-ton Ford truck. Powered by an 85hp, 221 CID flathead V-8, the truck underwent tests that proved the value of light duty 4x4s for military use. M-H offered a complete line of 4x4-converted Ford cars and trucks from 1937 to the beginning of World War II, and the company remains in business in Kentucky. (Photo courtesy Marmon-Herrington.)


1940 Dodge VC-1:

The first production light-duty 4x4s came from Dodge. After winning a big Army contract, Dodge built 4,640 of the transitional VC-series rigs in five body styles before starting on the more military WC Series for 1941. The sheetmetal was adapted from the 1939-1940 civilian trucks, as was much of the mechanical hardware. Though rated as a 1/2-ton, it actually used 1-ton running gear. Under the hood was a 201 CID flathead SIX backed by a four-speed trans, single-speed transfer case, and 4.69:1 gears. This 1940 VC-1 command reconnaissance car belongs to collector Steve Greenberg. (Photo courtesy Steve Greenberg.)


1940 Bantam:

This is the beginning of the Jeep. Delivered on September 23, 1940 as the first vehicle of a 70-unit contract, this 1/4-ton 4x4 was built by the American Bantam Car Company. This rig underwent nearly 3,500 miles of testing in just 19 days. Though subsequent vehicles bested the little Bantam's performance, this was the pattern on which all the others were based. "Old Number 1" was powered by a 45 HP Continental Four and used a Warner T-84 three-speed trans, Spicer Model 18 transfer case and Spicer 25 axles.


1943 Willys MB:

The 1942-45 Willys MB established itself as the king of the battlefield. Used in every role from delivering mail to killing tanks, the Jeep became an icon by all who came in contact with it. Maurizio Berretta of Milan, Italy, owns a genuine combat veteran. His 1943 Willys MB was used by the U.S. Army in the Italian Campaign and then given to the Italian Army in 1945. It's painted to match a Jeep in which British General Montgomery and Canadian General Crerar were seated and immortalized in a 1944 photo at the Normandy beachhead. (Photo courtesy Maurizio Berretta.)


1945 Dodge WC-52:

Next to Jeeps, the most famous light duty 4x4 of World War II was the Dodge Weapons Carrier. The 1942-45 WC-Series 3/4-ton Dodge sat on a 98-inch wheelbase and mounted big 9.00 16 tires. Power came from a 230 CID flathead Six that made 92 ponies. It was backed up by a four speed trans, single-speed transfer case, and 5.83:1 gears. Many came with a PTO winch. These trucks inspired Dodge's postwar Power Wagon, but the thousands built during the war remained in service for many years. This '45 Dodge was used, almost unchanged, by the Norwegian military until it was recently purchased by Coloradan John Smith.


1946 Willys CJ-2A:

With a development program that started in 1944, Willys beat everyone else to the draw with a postwar 4x4. What emerged was the CJ-2A (Civilian Jeep). Though the earliest models shared some military features, the 2As were quite different, having a tailgate and drawbar attachment, among other civilian features. Much of the CJ's early development went towards agricultural applications, though the little Jeep filled a thousand other roles. Despite a bevy of war surplus Jeeps on the market, the CJ-2A sold well. This restored '46 CJ-2A belongs to Art Carey. (Photo courtesy Art Carey.)


1946 Dodge Power Wagon:

Following the CJ by just a few months, the Power Wagon emerged in 1946 to bring the Dodge military trucks into civilian life. The civilian P/W's wheelbase was stretched to 128 inches, and a two-speed transfer case was added. 4.89:1 gears came standard, with 5.83:1 cogs optional with the 1-ton package. For the civilian market, an enclosed cab was installed, as well as a few creature comforts. The P/W was a modest commercial success and was made until 1968 for the American market, 1978 for export markets. This is one of the prototypes and still carriers some GI pieces, such as the combat wheels.


1948 Land Rover 80:

After World War II, many companies saw the potential in a 1/2-ton 4x4 like the Jeep, but none did better than the Rover Motor Company of Solihull, England. In the face of a ravaged economy, Britain needed experts. The car industry had been severely impacted by wartime rationing, so the Rover Motor Company developed a 4x4 that was intended as a stopgap to tide the firm over the bad times. The Land Rover was developed from concept to sale in just 18 month. The 80-inch wheelbase Land Rover soon began outselling the Rover cars, and their legacy continues to this day.


1949 Willys Station Wagon:

Some folks say the Willys station wagon was the beginning of the sport utility era. With seating for five and a proven drivetrain, it gave many families their first shot at four wheeling in relative comfort. The station wagon design was introduced in 1946 as a two-wheeler. In 1949, four-wheel drive became an options. Pictured is the '49 lineup with the 4x4 in the center. The first wagons were powered only by the 60 HP flathead Four (yes, they were very slow). In 1960, the slightly more powerful 68 HP F-head Four was introduced, and in 1952 a 226 CID Six was an option.


1958 Chevy Suburban:

By the mid-1950s, the 4x4 market had grown enough that GM wanted to get on the bandwagon. In 1956 and 1957, GMC and Chevrolet, respectively, offered all-wheel drive options in much of their light truck line. With Chevy, the option was only offered with a six-cylinder engine, but you could get a V-8 with GMCs. The 4x4 equipment came from NAPCO, a company that specialized in 4x4 conversions; the NAPCO kits were installed on the Chevy assembly line. GM continued with Napco to the 1960 model year, when they began sourcing the four-wheel parts directly from Spicer and Rockwell. This all-original Suburban belongs to Mike Hyatt of Grand Junction, Colorado.


1958 Toyota FJ-25:

Toyota's experience with 4x4s dates to the AK-10 in 1942. Postwar development began in 1951 with the model BJ; the more-familiar FJ Series debuted in mid-1954. In 1958, Toyota introduced the Land Cruiser to the U.S. market. The FJ-25 featured a 236 CID engine, four-speed truck transmission (with a 5.41:1 first gear), a single-speed transfer case, and 4.11:1 gears. It was superseded by the FJ-40 in 1960, and the Land Cruiser has endured ever since. (Photo courtesy Toyota.)


1961 International Harvester Scout:

The short wheelbase 4x4 concept advanced a few notches when the Scout was introduced in 1961. It featured a number of improvements not the least of which was significantly more power than the Jeep CJ or the Land Rover. The 152 CID engine, which was actually half of the IH 304 V-8, was the Scout's first powerplant. Most of the first Scout 80s came as pickups, but the fully enclosed Travel Tops became the most popular choice. The Scout line continued to evolve until 1980, when IH discontinued it.


1966 Ford Bronco:

Inspired by the Scout's success, Ford unveiled the Bronco late in 1965 with a unique coil-spring front suspension, a six-cylinder engine and a wide variety of options. By March 1966, the 289 CID V-8 became an option, making the Bronco the first short-wheelbase factory 4x4 to carry a V-8. By 1966 standards, the early Bronco was the most comfortable and powerful working 4x4 yet offered. The "early" Broncos sold well throughout their 11-year run, and are now considered a modern classic. (Photo courtesy Ford.)


1966 Kaiser-Jeep Super Wagoneer:

The Kaiser-Jeep Wagoneer model debuted in 1963, and was followed shortly by a "luxury" version: the Super Wagoneer. Produced in very limited numbers from 1966 to mid-'69, the four-door was dolled up with luxury exterior trim, padded vinyl roof and roof rack, "alloy look" wheel covers and special colors. Inside the rig sported leather seats, tilt steering column, AM-FM 8-track stereo with four speakers, air conditioning, power windows, and a floor-mounted shifter with a center console. Under the hood, a 270 HP, four-barrel version of the 327 (not a Chevy) fed a Borg-Warner automatic and a single speed transfer case. This was arguable the first luxury 4x4 SUV.


1969 Chevy Blazer:

The Blazer had a big impact on the 4x4 market when it debuted in early 1969. Because it was adapted from the line of Chevy light trucks, it was economical to build. The Blazer was bigger, more comfortable, and had a larger list of options than the other "utility" vehicles of the time. It also proved to be a capable performer in the dirt. The Chevy body styles changed for 1973, so the "old body" Blazers had a run of less than three years. As with all the 1969-72 Chevys, the Blazers are a hot collectible.


1970 Range Rover:

The Range Rover featured a huge number of innovations when it went on sale in 1970; coil-spring suspension at both ends; four-wheel disc brakes, aluminum V-8, aluminum body, and full-time four-wheel drive. The first Range Rovers weren't particularly luxurious, but were nicely appointed. The first Range Rovers came as a two-door only; a four-door first appeared in 1981. Though Land Rover had the U.S. market in mind with the Range Rover, the nationalization of much of the British car industry prevented its appearance here until 1987.


1984 Jeep Cherokee:

The midsize Jeep Cherokee was a major innovation when it debuted in 1984, starting a trend in four-door SUV's that continues to this day and quickly proving itself on the trails as well as the street. The Cherokee always had a very limber suspension, but the vehicles didn't begin to sell in large numbers until the 4.0-liter Six replaced the 2.8-liter V-6 in 1987. They've been selling like hotcakes ever since.


1991 Ford Explorer:

The Explorer was a sensation when it debuted in 1990, a masterful design that made a very strong impact on the 4x4 market. Explorers were offered in a two-door 102.1-inch wheelbase and a four-door 111.9-inch wheelbase. The latter outsold the former by nearly five to one. The Mazda Navajo debuted a year later as a rebadged two-door Explorer, and was on sale for several years. By August 1995, nearly 350,000 Explorers had been sold.