In recent years, 4WD has evolved from a hobby to a quintessential automotive lifestyle that caters to large families, industries, and businesses. 4WD vehicles provide much-needed support for families who are often mobile, industries that require access to places ordinary vehicles cannot traverse, and a person’s need to have something larger and more powerful for those “in case of who needs it” instances.

After years of improvising and evolving, 4WD has its share of facts and trivia that are both fun and useful. Here are some of them that will surely increase your interest in 4WD.

1. 1898, Latil (French) Built a 4×4 gun tractor during the WWII era. This concept arose from his manufacturing of power packs as replacements for the front axle shafts and horsepower of the cars.
2. The first 4WD vehicle was designed by Ferdinand Porsche (founder of Porsche cars). He designed the vehicle when he was 25 years old.
3. The first mechanical 4WD was built by the Dutch company Jacobus Spyker in 1902.
4. The four-wheel drive (FWD) automobile company built the first American vehicle in 1911. FWD supplied 4WD trucks to the British and US Marines during World War I.
5. Mercedes and BMW followed in 1926 with their line of 4WD vehicles for commercial consumption.
6. “Wankertank” or “Toorak Tractor” – colloquial names for 4WD commonly heard in and around the Melbourne area. Wankertank are 4x4s that are only driven around the city, while Toorak Tractor is a name belonging to the exclusive eastern suburb of Toorak, where these vehicles are mainly seen.
7. The first 4WD Formula 1 race car was the Ferguson P99 Climax. It remains the most famous specimen to rack up twin claims to fame. The first 4WD car and the last front-engined car to earn a place in an F1 event.
8. The most radical 4×4 vehicle is one made by a Russian armored car builder, Russo Baltique, who, among all the other details on the vehicle, used whale penis leather as seat coverings. The Russian car company makes security vehicles for Russia’s tsars and top officials. The vehicle is called the Dartz Prombron Monacco Red Diamond Edition, which is claimed to be the most expensive vehicle in the world at the time. Expensive it is, with gold-plated bulletproof windows, a tungsten escapement, diamond- and ruby-encrusted gauges, and a Kevlar-clad exterior. The shortage of whale penis leather was a concern until it emerged that a blue whale penis can grow up to 2.4 meters. The manufacturer has so far not mentioned the type of whale from which they get the penis leather.
9. The world’s first pedal-powered 4WD vehicle was created by a fellow German, Frank Fraune, and called it the Trailcart. The Trailcart is a metamorphosis of a mountain bike and 4WD with 290Nn of torque. 400mm of axle offset helps you tame rough terrain. This invention is receiving serious criticism from investors including Land Rover, which tested the vehicle at its obstacle park in Wulfrath, Germany.
10. Australians are the biggest buyers of 4×4 vehicles in the world.