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The use and application of 4WD in consumer vehicles is nothing new. The first application of this technology was seen in 1893 when an English engineer, Bramah Joseph Diplock, patented a four-wheel-drive system for a steam-powered tractor. In 1903, Spyker became the first automaker to bring it to mainstream automobiles.
The true evolution of 4WD came about with WWII when all major manufacturers started developing lightweight vehicles with four driven wheels for the military. Soon enough, Germans found that the traction gains from a 4WD system could prove highly beneficial on the dirt roads of the Group-B rally stages as well. As a result, Audi became the first to fit its purpose-built performance car with an all-wheel-drive system in 1980, and the rest is history.
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