The innovators: four-wheel steering
THE CARS WE DRIVE TODAY WERE INFLUENCED BY THESE PIONEERS
Ever since its conception, four-wheel-steering has remained a rare inclusion in production cars. That looks set to change with more and more modern cars incorporating the technology to make them more nimble at slow speeds with increased stability at higher velocities.
The W152-series MercedesBenz G5 was introduced as a military vehicle in 1937 (the “G”, of course, stood for Geländewagen). However, the German army showed little interest in this off-roader and Daimler-benz unveiled it as a civilian car at the 1938 London Motor Show.
Despite being presented as a
“colonial and hunting vehicle”, the G5 was highly customisable and could be specified in an array of body styles depending on a buyer’s needs.
That first G5 was powered by a 2,0-litre, four-cylinder petrol mill sending 33 kw and 126 N.m of torque to all four wheels via an unsynchronised five-speed manual ’box (the first gear had a low ratio of 7,22:1 and was to be used only when the vehicle was taken off-roading). Top speed was a claimed 85 km/h.
The G5’s all-terrain capability was further enhanced with the addition of three differential locks and, most notably, selectable four-wheel steering (FWS). Thanks to the latter, the G5’s general handling ability increased considerably. When activated, the rear wheels would turn in the opposite direction to the fronts, which aided drivers when manoeuvring the 2 150 kg 4x4 at low speeds (the owner’s manual advised G5 owners not to exceed 30 km/h while the system was in use).
This technology made the Mercedes-benz especially popular with German mountain-rescue services. The Bergwacht model (pictured) was a derivative used specifically for extracting injured mountaineers from the Alps while traversing rough terrain. It is said Alpine rescue personnel were so impressed with the FWS technology they believed “there’s no uphill gradient on the usual mountain roads and tracks that cannot be overcome by the G5”.
Although only 328 units of the W152 G5 were built before production ended in 1941, Benz continued constructing a version for rescue services until 1945.