4 Wheel Drive Zone

Most early motor vehicles had a basic set up with the engine mounted in the front with a gearbox attached to it driving the rear wheels only and this became the normal design of most vehicles for many years. As design progressed engine position and transmission (gearbox) position was experimented with to help with traction and handling. Rear engine and mid-engine vehicles became available as did front and all wheel drive. Four wheel drive vehicles began life early in the twentieth century and a number of companies had their own designs for supplying off road trucks for business and commercial use. The importance of having load carrying vehicles that could transverese harsh terrain was important due to the lack of roads. Both the British and American armies during World War One had four wheel drive trucks for heavy terrain use for carrying troops and equipment. However the need for a true multi purpose on and off road vehicle became apparent.

With the onset of World War Two the need for off road vehicles that could literally drive over any terrain became a necessity of the military and with any technology war tends to drive designs forward quickly. In the early days of the war the United States Military required a light-weight four wheel drive vehicle that could transverese almost any terrain. A number of companies came forward with designs including Bantam, Ford and Willys. The result of this was the world famous Willys Jeep. The jeep proved to be both very rugged and dependable through out the war and by the close it had become well known for its on and off road ability and its durability.

After the war the potential within the civilian market for jeeps was clearly apparent and Willys filed for the trademark registration of the name Jeep and began production for the public sector. The first models named Civillian Jeeps (CJ) began production in 1945 and the name Jeep became an icon of tough go anywhere vehicles soon to become a legend to future four wheel drive owners. The history of the Jeep and production models are as follows:

1945 - 1949 CJ-2A

1946 - 1953 CJ-3A

1947 - 1965 Willys Jeep Truck

1948 - 1950 Willys Jeepster

1952 - 1968 CJ-3B

1954 - 1983 CJ-5

1955 - 1981 CJ-6

1976 - 1986 CJ-7

1981 - 1986 CJ-8

1953 Kaiser buys Willys Overland.

1970 American Motors Corporation AMC takes over Kaiser-Jeep.

1987 Chrysler Corporation buys American Motors Corporation.

1998 Daimler-Benz merges with Chrysler Corporation.

The modern day Chrysler Jeep has many models and incorporates all the benefits of modern technology and comfort but it has tried to retain some of the old willys features as the front grill shows.

Back in the United Kingdom the Land Rover project was first born and the legend began.

A rally driving experience can be your thrill of a lifetime if you take the chance to do it sometime. Sure, driving the kids to school, going to the supermarket and driving to work are a part of daily life but there are all sorts of off road driving escapades waiting to be explored. Off road driving or rally driving, is driving on unpaved, raw roads such as sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, and other natural environments. It involves driving a highly specialized automobile such as a four-wheel drive or an all terrain vehicle through such natural surroundings. Rally driving is a sport which has become quite popular with people who are looking for a high adrenaline filled, recreational pursuit.

Off Roading first emerged in the early 20th century. The rally driving experience actually materialized as a television show on ABC and quickly became so popular as to be a full fledged sport. Rally driving has been dominated by the Nordics since the end of the 1970’s. Earlier, the amateurs of the 1950’s, were paid almost nothing. 1960 is when Eric Carlsson became the world’s first rally driving celebrity. Today, the World Rally Championship caters to almost all the continents.

Off road driving is also known as “autocross” in the UK. Most people think this type of driving is all about the speed and horsepower you aren’t able to legally accumulate on metropolitan roads and streets we use everyday. However, rally driving stresses more on car handling and driver skill. Out of all the motorsports you can get involved in, off roading is the most affordable and inexpensive and caters to the middle class as well as the elite. It has become a lucrative business for car manufacturers to show off their products in rally driving competitions and other off roading events. These races test the car’s performance, safety and reliability for mass consumer approval.

There are two types of major rally driving experiences which are known as stage and road rallies. Stage rallies are basically the more professional branch of racing using direct speed and stretches of roads which are closed off from urban traffic. It also involves other mediums such as asphalt mountain passes, rough forest trails, ice, snow, desert sand, etc. This type of rally driving experience is mainly popular in Europe, Asia and Australia. If accuracy and navigation are your assets you’ll be sure to win this race!

Road rallies are the original form of road rallying. Highways are used in this type of race but they can be quite difficult to master in long distances. It is known sometimes as the “time-speed-distance rally.” The earlier races were known as trials and some of the races are still known as trials today. Rally driving experiences are very popular among the common people such as motor clubs and individuals who are fans of motor sports.

Road rallies cover all types of surfaces across the world and you never know where and when they will hold a race. This keeps each road rally driving experience exciting and captivating for the drivers as well as their audience and fans. Now you can stop living your road rally dreams on video games and bring them to life! If you think this is a thrill for you, go ahead and give it a go and you may find that a rally driving experience is worth having.