Four-Wheel Drive and Land-Rover

Four-wheel drive was first tried on steam-powered agricultural machinerey; then it was adopted as a cure for sideslip in racing cars. Its wider application was shown from about 1910 in North America in vehicles able to traverse unsurfaced roads previously impassable in winter. Developments in the 1930s culminated in the American Jeep. Thousands of four-wheel drive vehicles were used in the Second World War and afterwards many found their way into agriculture, forestry and specialised transport. After the Land-Rover workhorse appeared in 1948 many smaller types followed. In North America there was a demand for versatile off-the road models while in Europe more comfortable models like the Range-Rover became popular.