Did you know the SUV is one of the best-selling vehicles on the market today?
The SUV – or Sports Utility Vehicle – is popular with everyone from bush bashers and weekend warriors to urban families and the hipster youth.
If you’re an Aussie, you may refer to the SUV as a “Toorak Tractor” or “Mosman Taxi“!
While most owners won’t undertake anything more challenging than the school car park, the SUV was originally designed as a commercial or wartime workhorse.
Let’s take a look at the fascinating history of the SUV:
The Suburban: From humble beginnings to the White House
The Chevrolet Carryall Suburban was released way back in 1935. It was built on a truck chassis, rear wheel drive only, and cost a whopping (…wait for it..) $675!
Even though the original Carryall could seat 8 people, it only had two front doors, and was used primarily as a commercial vehicle. It wasn’t until the late 1960s when a third (rear) door was added.
The early 1970s – a quarter of a century after initial release – saw the introduction of a fourth door, combined with better seats, fully trimmed door panels, and new dash trim.
The Carryall remains the longest continuous production vehicle in existence, and for General Motors has been one of the most profitable vehicles.
The Modern Suburban
In recent years, the Suburban has been used as a police car, fire chief’s vehicle, and a limousine. Black Suburbans are the vehicle of choice for US federal intelligence services.
An armoured version of the Suburban continues to be used as a transport option for the President of the United States, whether you like him or not.
From Russia With Love
In 1932, Ford Motor Company and the Soviet Union signed a cooperative enterprise agreement known as the Five Year Plan. The Soviets agreed to purchase $13 million worth of automobiles and parts, and Ford agreed to assist in setting up an automobile-manufacturing plant in the Soviet Union.
This plant came to be known as GAZ, or Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod.
Enter the GAZ-61, one of the world’s first all-wheel drive passenger cars:
The GAZ-61 had 85 horsepower, a top speed of 100 km/hr, and could climb angles up to 38 degrees. In addition, it could cross water up to 72cm deep, making it a very versatile vehicle indeed.
The SUV is produced during WWII, from 1938 to 1941, and was used by many commanders of the Red Army.
The Jeep, Land Rover, and Land Cruiser: Products of War
At the outbreak of WWII, the US army called on automobile manufacturers to invent a prototype all-wheel drive vehicle that was tough, durable, and capable of carrying soldiers over rough terrain.
Only two companies responded.
One of these companies was Willys Overland, and they produced the vehicle that would come to be known to this day as the Jeep.
Willys Overland Jeep
The Willys Overland prototype was commissioned by the US Army, and with the help of Ford Motor Company, Willys Overland produced more than 700,000 of them for this purpose.
Originally named the “G.P.” due to the original designation as a “general purpose”, the vehicle eventually became known as what we still call them today – the Jeep.
After the war, the Jeep went on sale to the general public, quickly becoming extremely popular as a passenger vehicle (for school runs or trips to the corner shop).
The Wilks Land Rover
Not to be outdone by the Americans, British brothers Maurice and Spencer Wilks created a 4X4 vehicle which they called the Land Rover.
The Land Rover was very similar to the Jeep in many ways, although the Wilks brothers designed it for a very different purpose – to cater to farmers.
The Toyota Land Cruiser
One of the most loved 4x4s in Australia, the Toyota Land Cruiser was a product of a different war – The Korean War in 1950.
At the outset of the Korean War, the US military requested Japanese automobile manufacturers, Toyota, to develop a military vehicle.
Although the US military rejected the prototype in preference to the US Jeep, Toyota used this design to develop the 4X4 Land Cruiser.
The Land Cruiser was additionally adopted for use by the Japanese National Police Agency.
The Toorak Tractor
From products of war, the SUV grew in popularity as a viable passenger vehicle. In 2017, SUV sales overtook passenger car sales for the first time in Australia, and this has continued to this day.
Whether you like SUVs because they’re roomy and high off the ground, because they feel safer, or because they’re more commanding on the road, it is easy to understand their popularity.
Many SUVs feature 4WD or AWD, some have the towing capacity of a light truck, and many are increasingly fuel efficient as technology and design improves. This makes them both comfortable and very versatile for all Australian conditions both on or off-road.
For these reasons, it is clear why the the “Toorak Tractor” or “Mosman Taxi” is loved so much by us Australians!