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The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive or just FWD, was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin
Clintonville, Wisconsin

Clintonville is a city in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,736 at the United States Census, 2000....
 as the Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company by Otto Zachow and William Besserdich.

Zachow and Besserdich developed and built the first successful four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive

Four-wheel drive, 4WD, 4x4 , or AWD is a four-wheeled vehicle with a Powertrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously....
 (4x4) car, the "Battleship", in 1908. Its success led to the founding of the company. "Badger" was dropped from the name in 1910, and the name was changed to FWD Corporation in 1958.

The success of the four-wheel drive in early military tests prompted the company to switch from cars to trucks.






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The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive or just FWD, was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin
Clintonville, Wisconsin

Clintonville is a city in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,736 at the United States Census, 2000....
 as the Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company by Otto Zachow and William Besserdich.

Zachow and Besserdich developed and built the first successful four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive

Four-wheel drive, 4WD, 4x4 , or AWD is a four-wheeled vehicle with a Powertrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously....
 (4x4) car, the "Battleship", in 1908. Its success led to the founding of the company. "Badger" was dropped from the name in 1910, and the name was changed to FWD Corporation in 1958.

The success of the four-wheel drive in early military tests prompted the company to switch from cars to trucks. In two world war
World war

A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span several continents, and last for multiple years....
s, U.S. and Allied armies depended on such four-wheel drive vehicles.

FWD vehicles were made with a track width of 4ft 8½in so they could quickly be used on a standard gauge
Standard gauge

The standard gauge is a widely-used rail gauge. Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge . The distance between the inside edges of the rails of standard gauge track is ....
 railway line merely by changing the wheels.

A British subsidiary was set up at Slough
Slough

Slough is a Borough status in the United Kingdom and unitary authority area within the Ceremonial counties of England of Berkshire, England, situated west of London....
 in 1921. In 1926, the British FWD, also known as the Quad, was produced with a larger 70bhp engine.

In 1932, AEC took a controlling interest in the British company and began to use more standard AEC components in the Slough-built vehicles. To distinguish these from imported U.S. FWD vehicles, they were marketed under the name Hardy. Production ceased about 1936, but AEC exploited its experience with all-wheel drive in its Second World War Matador
AEC Matador

The AEC Matador was an artillery tractor built by the Associated Equipment Company for British and Commonwealth forces during the Second World War....
 (4x4) and Marshall (6x6) vehicles.

See also

  • G-numbers, (SNL G174)

External links

early product. early vehicles liberty truck teracruzer