Rugged and Independent

Ford’s Twin Traction Beam four-wheel-drive front axle looks primitive alongside the current F-150’s coilover and control-arm setup. But this innovative design, first introduced in 1980, helped Dearborn bridge the gap between the straight axle and IFS eras.

Back in the dim-and-distant 1970s, full-size 4x4 pickups with solid front axles roamed the Earth and everything was good. They were simple, cheap, durable, and easy to work on. (As a matter of fact, they still are.)