Four Wheel Drive of the Century

December 1999: After weighing all of the arguments, the most significant four wheel drive of the century must surely be the Willys Overland Jeep MB, also built as the Ford GPW.

The Jeep has the classic four wheel drive layout of front mounted engine, conventional gearbox, two speed transfer case with part-time four wheel drive, live axles front & rear, and (then industry standard) leaf springs. Although the original specification called for a much lighter vehicle, the Jeep can still be called compact and light, these being great virtues in a 4WD. Several readers pointed out that it was the first mass produced four wheel drive, 700,000+ being built by Willys and Ford up to 1945.

The Jeep's story contains hope, politics, betrayal and drama. The first designs were built by Bantam, a small company, a builder of light cars, and one in financial difficulty. The Jeep could have been the saving of the company, both from the war-time contracts and from post-war uses, many people being wide awake to the latter possibilities. Only after the first tests did Willys and Ford show any great interest in the Army's project. Many people thought that Willys and Ford were then given excessively favourable treatment, Bantam eventually being side-lined from the project. Whether wrong was done or not is as debatable now as it was in the 1940s. Perhaps it all worked out for the best - would Bantam really have been able to match the production might of Willys and Ford? If the Jeep did help to win the war, the reason has as much to do with mass production as with the Jeep's four wheel drive abilities.

After the war, the Jeep inspired many imitators, notably the British Land-Rover and the Japanese Toyota LandCruiser. The anticipated uses of the CJ (and MB) in agriculture did not come about to the extent that had been anticipated, but there were delivery vehicles and light 4x4 trucks, and applications in mining, surveying and exploration, and eventually the recreational 4WD movement that dwarfed all of these. The Jeep is not the best four wheel drive of the century; a standard MB is very good indeed offroad but it could not match a Pinzgauer or a Hummer, nor could it compete with today's Cherokee, Pajero and LandCruiser in the market-place, but it is in great part the things that these vehicles take from the Jeep that make it the most significant four wheel drive. Good things have many imitators and are followed by many improvements.

Looking towards the next century, is it possible that the Moller Skycar represents the future of personal transport?

- 4wd.sofcom.com/4WD.html

October 1999: OK, at the risk of starting an argument, it seems impossible to avoid doing the "end of 1999 thing" by picking the most significant four wheel drive of the century. In fact, if anyone can find a four-wheel drive from the 19th century then we will consider that too. (Note, the referee has decreed that 31/12/1999 is the end of the century even though purists may say that 31/12/2000 is the magic date - too bad.)

Email voting is too easily spoofed, so the final decision will be made on the basis of pure logic and reason, not on weight of numbers.

The criteria are:

1. Technical innovation, e.g. the Spyker.
2. Social and political world-wide impact, e.g. the Jeep MB.
3. First of a new kind of 4WD, e.g. the Range Rover (I).
4. Spectacular 4WD ability in a standard model, e.g. the Pinzgauer.

Note that it is in no way necessary for the vehicle to be a commercial success, e.g. only one Spyker 4x4 was ever made. Neither is it necessary for a vehicle to rate well under all of the criteria.

Generally speaking, current model 4WDs are ineligible, unless they have a very clear case indeed under the criteria, because there has not been enough time for their final value to be assessed.

The nominees are:

• Spyker:
  The recently restored Spyker features full-time four wheel drive, 4-wheel brakes, and a 6-cylinder engine, surely technically innovative for 1902!
  
• Jeep MB:
  Some people say that the Jeep won World War II. This may be an over-statement but it still contains some truth. After the war, the Jeep's descendants also popularised four wheel driving. The Jeep has had great social and political impacts.
  
• Range Rover:
  The Range Rover (classic) brought a light-weight powerful V8 engine, full-time four wheel drive, long-travel coil suspension, four disc brakes, and real comfort to 4wdriving - a new kind of 4WD in 1970.
  
• Pinzgauer:
  The Pinzgauer features portal axles, hub-reduction gearing, diff' locks on all (2 or 3) axles, an innovative differential, and a back-bone chassis, to give spectacular four wheel drive ability for a stock vehicle that has been sold to both civilians and the military.
  
• Suzuki LJ50 2-stroke was a new kind of 4WD in the 1970s. It was a cheap and capable alternative to the 4WD heavy-weights such as Toyota and Nissan. As Henry Ford (may have) said, "add lightness and simplicity". This applies doubly in 4WDs. Farmers called the LJ50 the "tin rain-coat". I have seen one fall over and the driver and passenger climb out, push it upright again and drive on. (Right: Rowdy's courtesy of Rob David.)
  
• Audi Quattro:
  The Audi Quattro 4WD blew away the opposition in rallying in 1981 - a new kind of (road-going) 4WD at the time.
  

To nominate a vehicle, giving reasons(!), or to give reasoned support for a nominee: [contact].

Discussion

This topic has sparked interest from some very thoughtful advocates of various four wheel drives, notably Hummers and LandCruisers (especially FJ40s) to date as well as the candidates above. It must be pointed out that the job at hand is not to pick the best four wheel drive of the century. In fact it is quite probable that the most significant 4WD, under the criteria, is not the best 4WD but is one that has spawned many imitators some of which are incremental improvements on the original.

Honourable Mentions:

In arbitrary order:

• Hummer - a direct comparison must be made with the Jeep. The Hummer may (or may not) be a better 4WD than the Jeep (and then better for what), if you ignore size and weight (and cost) which are major disadvantages in some situations, but the Hummer is (i) a current model and (ii) partly a "victim" of its times. The Hummer was used in Desert Storm but, although terrible, that conflict hardly compares with World War II in significance.
• Mitsubishi's Pajero invented the "family wagon" and is still arguably the best of that type.
• Subaru Leone (1974) should perhaps be rated for inventing the 4wd-"car" ahead of the Audi Quattro, but somehow the former just doesn't quite catch the imagination like the Quattro.
• Toyota's Hilux caused a revolution when it appeared - take a light 4x2 ute, and bolt on the 4WD bits.
• Toyota 40s were tremendously successful - but no new concepts there.

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