We have very advanced automotive technology like AWD these days to allow us to go off-road, but clearly not all cars can go off-road; how come in old movies you see old cars driving on dirt roads all the time?

Question

Is this just a movie thing? Aside from the lack of comfort, how well did old cars drive on dirt roads, which presumably were everywhere? I can’t imagine they got good traction on those thin wheels, or even produce enough power to push through a bumpy hill, so I’m wondering if there’s something I’m missing here?

In: Technology

Answer 1

Some of the earliest cars rolled off the assembly lines and onto “roads” that were cut by horse and buggy. Meaning many of the roads had slits on them that the wheels sort of went into. Dirt or grass isn’t really an issue for any car nor has it been as long as it’s dry and not very steep.

Modern AWD in consumer land are usually to help with Winter conditions, but of course some are made for dealing with more aggressive terrain or trail conditions. If you go back to early automobiles they simply were not used in these applications, horses were still common modes of transport to be used if needed.