TIL about the Jiger, the first-ever offroad vehicle. It was invented in Canada by John Gower-Rempel (J-G-R or Jiger). It had six wheels and weighed only 300 lbs (136 kg).
Space races, war, two engines, tires with no rims, and a bathtub-like design. This is the story of the Jiger, the first ATV.
For MST3K fans: this has three connections to the show- not only is it the same name as Gamera vs. Jiger, the vehicle itself was seen in the movies The Girl in Gold Boots and Blood Waters of Dr. Z.
I've seen many of these up here in northern Ontario and everyone raves about them.
The funny part is, every single one I've ever seen is a broken down hunk of junk in someone's barn / backyard / garage / storeroom / warehouse that hasn't run in decades. Every guy who ever owned these remembers being a kid and seeing their dad / uncle or other adult running it and calling it the greatest thing ever made. Then then grow up buy a broken down useless vehicle, work on it for a few days, plan on fixing it and never get it running. It stagnates on the property for a decade and then someone else comes around buys it and does the same thing.
I see it as a mythological thing from some forgotten past at this point. It's like saying unicorns or minotaurs existed in Canada a generation ago. It might be true but I've just never seen a working machine in real life.
The last time I saw one was with an old elderly friend who had torn one apart and I spent an afternoon with him fixing it up. He said he needed about a dozen parts to get it running ... he died a few years later, and never got the parts or the machine running. It got sold off for a hundred bucks and now the next owner is doing the same thing again.