In 1896, E. J. Pennington, an American, designed (but never built) a steam-powered armored car equipped with metal skirts and two machine guns, one facing forward and the other facing to the rear. Three years later, English engineer F. R. Simms took a small steam-powered, four-wheeled vehicle and added a bulletproof shield as well as a machine gun. In 1902, Simms introduced the first armored car powered by an internal combustion engine. His "War Car," which carried three guns, weighed over five tons, rode on four steel-tired wheels, had a boat-shaped hull of thin armor, and was capable of a top speed of nine miles per hour.

The British army began experimenting with armored car designs during World War I. They took existing cars and chassis and added open-topped bodies equipped with a machine gun that could shoot over the side armor. Trucks were fitted with armor, thus...