FWD Corp - Four Wheel Drive Corporation - 1960's dated Automotive Stock Certificate

Automotive Stock. Two male figures with FWD logo. Abbreviated FWD Corporation title. Quite scarce!!! Available in Green or Blue. Please specify color.

The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, often referred to as Four Wheel Drive (FWD), was an innovative American firm that led the way in the creation and manufacturing of all-wheel drive vehicles. Founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, by Otto Zachow and William Besserdich, the company originally called itself the Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company. In 1911, they built their first production facility, which was designed by architect Wallace W. DeLong from Appleton, Wisconsin.

In 2003, FWD changed its name to FWD Corporation. As part of this reorganization, the company divested its subsidiaries, including Seagrave, Baker Aerialscope, and Almonte Fire Trucks, to an investment group led by former American LaFrance executive James Hebe. Importantly, the Seagrave Fire Apparatus group has since evolved into a significant subsidiary of ELB Capital Management.

Zachow and Besserdich’s venture began in 1908 when they successfully created and constructed their first four-wheel drive (4x4) vehicle, aptly named the “Battleship.” This extraordinary accomplishment set the foundation for the company’s establishment. In 1910, the name “Badger” was removed from the company’s title. The patented full-time four-wheel drive system developed by Besserdich and Zachow included a lockable center differential and double-Y constant velocity universal joints for steering. In modern terminology, the “Battleship” can be classified as all-wheel drive, as all FWD products produced by the company were equipped with full-time four-wheel drive featuring a lockable center differential.