The Motor Scout was the first armed petrol engine powered vehicle ever built. It was not intended for running over ploughed fields or charging, but it was designed to provide a cover or to support infantry and cavalry wherever good roads were available. It was designed and built by British inventor F. R. Simms in 1898. He mounted a standard mark IV

Maxim machine gun The Maxim gun is a recoil-operated machine gun invented in 1884 by Hiram Stevens Maxim. It was the first fully automatic machine gun in the world. The Maxim gun has been called "the weapon most associated with imperial conquest" by historian M ...

above the front wheels of a quadricycle. The Maxim gun, with its readily accessed 1,000 rounds of ammunition, took the place of a second rider. The driver operated the machine gun. Simms put an iron shield in front of the car for the driver's protection. A one and a half horsepower Simms' Patent Automatic Petrol Motor, with Simms' magneto-electric ignition, was fitted and the standard tank carried enough fuel for 120 miles. The Motor Scout was convertible to a two-seated quadricycle. The quadricycle was also available without the gun for non-military purposes as a two-seated vehicle for £120. The next vehicle designed by Simms, the

Motor War Car The Simms Motor War Car was the first armoured car ever built, designed by F. R. Simms. A single prototype was ordered by the British Army in April 1899, a few months before the Second Boer War broke out. It was built by Vickers, Sons & Max ...

, can be considered the world's first real armoured car.

References

* Armoured cars of the United Kingdom Military vehicles introduced in the 1900s Vehicles introduced in 1898 {{UK-mil-stub