As soon as power-driven vehicles were capable of cornering, a problem became apparent. When the vehicle went around a curve, the wheel on the inside of the curve traveled a shorter distance than the other and thus turned more slowly. The differing speeds of the wheels on either side of the car caused it to skid, as well as stressing the axle assembly. As a result, there was a need for a gear system able to drive two shafts at different speeds.

The first successful split axle and gear, or differential, was designed by O. Pecquer in 1828. The drive shaft joined with a large housing that contained the ends of two rear axles and was located between the rear wheels. Here, the drive shaft ended with a drive pinion gear that matched up with a large crown wheel. This crown wheel had two planet pinion gears mounted permanently...