J. Walter Christie's Front Drive Motor Company... [PIC]

John Walter Christie (1865 - 1944) worked his way through engineering school and then worked for the Navy on gun turret and submarine designs. On his own he started designing automobile front wheel systems and suspensions. He began building FWD race cars in the new century and with each successful race, continued to modify the cars. It was to culminate with his entry into the 1905 Vanderbuilt Cup race with his #11 race car. By that time, he had perfected a 36 valve 828 cid V4 that produced 70 hp.

With enough wins and notoriety, he formed the Christie Direct Action Motor Car Company. The 1905 Vanderbuilt Cup  did not go as planned. He crashed into a car that was pitting that was driven by Vincenzo Lancia and his car was totaled. While both crews tried to get Lancia's car on the road, Lancia was intrigued by the suspension on Christie's car and back in Italy, he copied it for the Lancia Beta. Many races that ended in many injuries led him to now concentrate on passenger cars, taxis and other municipal vehicles. Noting that fire trucks were still horse drawn, he merely replaced the horses with his FWD set up using his tried and true V4 engine. The Christie Front Drive Steam Pumper Fire Engine was born.

 During WWl he put his 4 wheel designs to work building a FWD staff car for General Pershing as well as a light amphibious tank for the Marines. He submitted many designs and built prototype tanks for the Amy after the war. The Army bought them but failed to utilize all they could. The real prize in those designs was the suspension and drive train. Between military short-sightedness and bureaucratic red  tape, little was adopted. The real winner was the Red Army who used the Christie design for their legendary BT light tank and the T31.