Padlangs: The first 4x4 in the world

Manni Goldbeck 

Did you know that Namibia pioneered the use of 4x4 vehicles more than a century ago? In 1908 one of the first ‘all-wheel-drive’ vehicles was sent to German South West Africa for the German colonial secretary. It was designed specifically for the country’s long distances and rough terrain. Robustly constructed, its maximum speed on tar was 40km/hour, somewhat slower than contemporary vehicles of the time, but much faster off-road than the alternative of animal transport. 

When visiting Germany last year, I made a stop at the Mercedes Benz museum in Stuttgart and located the 1:4 scale replica of the vehicle and read its fascinating story. It was made in a factory in Berlin-Marienfelde in 1907 by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG), which later became Mercedes Benz. 

The vehicle was specifically designed by Paul Daimler for the harsh African conditions and was one of a kind. The four-cylinder, 6.7-litre engine that produced 35 horsepower had permanent all-wheel drive and was built to negotiate gradients of 25 per cent. The vehicle boasted solid steel wheels rather than the spoked wheels common at the time and was fitted with pneumatic tyres instead of the solid rubber tyres that were in widespread use. Only the rear tyres had a tread. Extra trouble was taken to protect the engine, transmission and wheels from sand damage, an important consideration for the sandy Namibian roads. A special cooling system with two radiators containing 140 litres of coolant was installed for the tropical climate. This majestic precursor to our modern 4x4 game-viewers had two seats in the front and four in the back, was 4.9 metres long and 2.7 metres high, weighing in at 3.6 tons, a hefty weight for the narrow tyres to bear. 

After it was thoroughly and well-tested on a trial run in Germany, it was shipped to Swakopmund with its driver, who doubled as a mechanic. The colonial secretary, Bernhard Dernburg, happily received it a month later. Dernburg was tasked with coordinating and improving relations between Germany and its colonies and needed a reliable and capable vehicle. The all-wheel-drive vehicle would later be nicknamed, the ‘Dernburg-Wagen’. 

It was, undoubtedly, remarkable for its time. The 600-kilometre journey from Keetmanshoop to Gibeon via Berseba and from Maltahöhe to Rehoboth and Windhoek took a record time of four days, a journey that would have taken twelve days by an accomplished rider on horseback. Dernburg was even able to use mobile communication along the way as the vehicle carried a field telephone that could be tapped into telegraph wires along the route. 

By 1910, the Dernburg-Wagen had covered 10 000 kilometres. Due to the excessive weight and a good deal of off-road driving, the tyres only lasted a short time. During this period, 36 tyres and 27 inner tubes were used. 

It is not known how the car fared in World War I or what happened to it afterwards as all trace of it has disappeared. Paul Ritter, its driver-mechanic, returned to Marienfelde in 1919 and resumed work in the factory. 

Today, more than a hundred years later, 4x4 vehicles equipped with roof-top tents have become a popular way of travelling around Namibia. 

As the world stops rushing and slows down in response to the Covid-19 virus, thousands of 4x4s stand idly in car rental companies awaiting the day when they will once again travel the exciting routes through the country. It won’t be too long now. And, as we learn from history and move forward wiser than before, perhaps we can take a tip from the Dernburg-Wagen and enjoy a journey on the slow road.