Motor War Car

Motor War Car was the first armored car ever built. It was designed in 1902 by F.R. Simms and a single prototype was built by Vickers & Maxim. The vehicle was an improvement over Simms' earlier design known as "Motor Scout" which was the first armed (but not armored) vehicle powered by a gasoline engine.

The vehicle had Vickers armor 6 mm thick and was powered by a 16 hp Daimler engine giving it a maximum speed of around 9 miles per hour (14.5 km/h). The armament, consisting of two Maxim guns, was carried in two turrets with 360° traverse. Some sources also mention a single QF 1 pounder pom-pom.

It had a crew of four. Simms' Motor War Car was presented at the Crystal Palace, London, in April 1902.

Another armoured car of the period was the French Charron-Girardot-Voigt 1902, presented at the Salon de l'Automobile et du cycle in Brussels, on 8 March 1902.