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FWD

The FWD (Four-Wheel-Drive) Auto Company was founded by Otto Zachaw and his brother-in-law William Besserdich in 1912. Truck production started in a low scale that year, but during WW I many 3 and 5 ton trucks were delivered to the US Army. William Besserdich left the company to set up Oshkosh in 1917.
Considerable number of trucks were shipped to the UK during WW I. A British version, the Quad, was produced under license from 1918 by FWD Motors in Slough.
A agreement was made with AEC about using their engines in 1929.
By now the British build trucks was so far from the US build, that the FWD name was discontinued, and from 1931 the trucks were labeled Hardy.
FWD went on to build a wide range of trucks in conventional and cabover form.
During WW II cabover versions of their SU bonneted truck were build for the armed forces.
In the 1950´s a huge range of trucks for both on and off-road use were produced.
From 1960 the company was renamed FWD Corporation, and in 1963 the Seagrave Corporation, which had specialized in fire fighting equipment, was taken over.
Production of specialized and fire trucks has continued into the 1990´s.