Four-wheel drive for long-haul trucks?

FWD is another of the many truck manufacturers competing for fleet business in the 1930s. But FWD had a gimmick: All of its trucks featured a four-wheel-drive powertrain, which the company claimed made for safer driving, regardless of application or road conditions. And although the company primarily focused on construction truck sales, as this ad shows, it didn’t believe four-wheel-drive precluded it from long-haul operations at all.

The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company was founded in Clintonville, Wisconsin, in 1909. It’s first vehicle model was branded “The Battleship” – a name that just really doesn’t stand up all that well today.

Unfortunately for FWD, the concept of full-time four-wheel-drive never caught on with American truck buyers. The company eventually found a niche in the fire truck market and today its name and assets are owned by Seagrave.