The vehicle was designed with a range of technological advancements that first appeared in the world, but only one prototype was ever produced and it never saw combat.
Tanks, heavily armored combat vehicles equipped with large guns and moving on metal wheels, do not always look like a typical “tank.” If you only look at modern tanks or armored vehicles, you would certainly find it hard to recognize how they have evolved throughout history.
The first use of “vehicles” in warfare dates back to the Egyptians and Hittites around the 2nd millennium BC. These civilizations used horse-drawn chariots to enhance the mobility of their archers. Indeed, this is also why these two empires (Egyptians and Hittites) feature mounted archers with superior characteristics in the strategy game Age of Empires.
The world’s first war vehicle. (Photo: iStock).
Following that, various types of “protected vehicles” began to emerge from medieval times around the 9th century BC. At that time, the Assyrians used wheeled siege towers and battering rams. Much later, around 1335, a design for a “battle car” was sketched by Guido da Vigevano, an Italian physician and inventor. Of course, we then have Leonardo da Vinci’s famous sketch of an “armored car” from 1485.
Fast forward another 400 years to 1885, British inventor James Cowen patented the first armored vehicle with wheels and mounted guns.
However, the birth of the first armored vehicle owes much to a man named Frederick Richard Simms, the central figure in this story.
Frederick Richard Simms. (Photo: Autocar).
Simms was born in 1863 in Hamburg, Germany, but lived and studied in Berlin until his early twenties. He was a talented businessman, as well as an engineer and brilliant inventor, later known as the “Father of the British Automobile Industry.”
Simms met German engineer Gottlieb Daimler around 1889 and requested a license to manufacture high-speed engines. He quickly moved to London, England, becoming a mechanical engineer involved in all kinds of automotive designs and innovations. He conceived concepts like “petrol” and “automobile”, and alongside German engineer Robert Bosch, invented the Simms-Bosch ignition magneto.
In January 1898, Simms filed a patent for a vehicle described as “a turret, armored car, shield, and similar things.” The chassis was designed to effectively absorb kinetic energy from projectile impacts. Three months later, he was granted a patent for an “engine-powered vehicle for use in warfare.”
In 1899, he created his first armed military vehicle, named the Motor Scout Quadricycle. It was a four-wheeled motorcycle fitted with a Mark IV Maxim machine gun of caliber 0.303, capable of firing 1,000 rounds forward. It had a bulletproof shield at the front for the driver to take cover behind. This vehicle was never mass-produced or used by the military, but that did not stop Simms from creating a prototype for testing.
Simms testing the 1899 Motor Scout Quadricycle. (Photo: Autocar).
Using the Motor Scout as a starting point, Simms commenced his next project, the Simms Motor War Car. This was a project he undertook with partner companies like Vickers, Sons & Maxim, taking nearly three years to complete.
The design of Simms utilized a Daimler truck chassis built by his own company and mounted it with a Cannstatt-Daimler 3.3-liter 16-horsepower four-cylinder engine, with a maximum speed of 14 km/h. Vickers provided 6 mm thick armor for the vehicle, while Maxim equipped it with two Mark IV Maxim machine guns of caliber 0.303, each capable of firing 360 degrees. An automatic 1 Pounder Quick Fire cannon was also installed on the vehicle. It was said to require a crew of at least four people (a driver or commander and three crew members to operate the guns) and could carry dozens of individuals.
The Motor War Car measured 8.5 meters long and ran on four wooden-spoked wheels (similar to horse-drawn carts) wrapped with steel bands. Its armored front, shaped like a cigar, could be used as battering rams to break through gates, while the angled edges were sharpened like razors. To enhance defensive capabilities, it featured an integrated generator allowing electrical connection to the outer shell, making it more difficult for enemies to climb onto the vehicle.
Mr. Simms in his armored vehicle. (Photo: Royal Automobile Club).
The British Army ordered Simms’ Motor War Car in April 1899 and planned to deploy it to the British-controlled colonies in South Africa to support the ongoing wars at that time.
However, when the War Car finally debuted at the Crystal Palace Motor Show in London in February 1902, the colonial war had come to an end. This meant it was no longer necessary. In fact, the British Army didn’t even attend the exhibition to see the vehicle they had ordered. Although only one prototype was built and it was never used, it remains the first armored vehicle ever created by humankind.
