 Introduction
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When was the first all-wheel-drive vehicle built? Since the competition between the steam engine, the electric motor, and the internal combustion engine remained undecided well into the 20th century, there is
an early
model with all-wheel drive for each of the three types. Wikipedia mentions a certain Mr. Caffrey, who is said to have equipped a vehicle in 1895 with a small steam engine on each of its four wheels, for a total
output of
approximately 9 kW (12 hp).
Around 1900, Ferdinand Porsche began using real wheel-hub motors, which he powered electrically. Most of the time there were two, because he felt he didn't have much range anyway. But there were
probably also some
with four hub motors, since he was able to charge the batteries even while driving using an internal combustion engine.
For the internal combustion engine group, the Spyker 60 HP, introduced in 1903, is cited as the first of two Dutch manufacturers to produce a larger series. You can now admire the vehicle pictured above
at the Louwman Collection in The Hague. Incidentally, the other Dutch company is DAF, which much later converted 55 coupes entirely into front-wheel-drive vehicles for rally use.
The so-called Dernburg car from Mercedes dates back to 1907; although it was primarily intended for passenger transport, but in fact, it no longer technically falls into the category of passenger cars. Perhaps
the car became even more famous than other four-wheel-drive vehicles because its rear wheels were also steerable. Otherwise, let’s skip ahead to World War II.
Of course, we’ll have plenty more to say about the Jeep, but in this chapter we’ll turn our attention to one of the pioneers of modern four-wheel-drive technology: the British company Jensen. The company was
founded by brothers Richard and Alan Jensen in 1934, originally intended solely for the production of commercial vehicles. Rather additionally, very luxurious sports cars were also produced in West Bromwich,
near Birmingham.
This remained the case even after World War II, despite the sales difficulties faced by the few remaining luxury manufacturers. In contrast to these, however, engines from mass production were used.
Nevertheless, the 541 from 1953 derived its unique selling point from its plastic body. It was the year the first Corvette was built. However, the car was one of the last models from Jensen to stand out for its
lightweight construction.
There was also evidence of poor manufacturing quality at Jensen Motor in the 1960s. The opposite of that seemed to be the art of innovation here, as the 'FF' designation still has a good reputation in the
automotive industry even today. In 1965, a Jensen prototype with four-wheel drive was presented, simultaneously with an ABS system developed by Dunlop for aircrafts.
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Don't be fooled! You'll likely find many Jensen Interceptors from that company at the back-then price of approximately 3,700 pounds, but only a few with the “FF” designation for more than 5,300 pounds. The
name 'Formula Ferguson' does indeed point to its origin from the tractor manufacturer of the same name, but the takeover did not eliminate the difficulties, such as tensioning.
For example, the FF was already equipped with a central differential capable of distributing 37 percent of the drive torque to the front axle and 63 percent to the rear axle. As you might have guessed, it featured
a planetary gearset, three parallel chains for the front-wheel drive, and a very unconventional locking mechanism via two multi-plate clutches that look as if they were borrowed from a motorcycle.
In addition, there was a mount for an ABS control unit. Ein solcher Bremsen-Zusatz hat auch später noch bei der elektronischen Version manches Kopfzerbrechen bereitet. However, as the first functional
permanent all-wheel-drive system for road vehicles, the Jensen FF served as the blueprint on which many subsequent developments were based, even though it reportedly failed to impress Audi at first, for
example. Later they later fixed those weaknesses in their own way.
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