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I came across this item in the Preston Guardian of 5th May 1900 and initially thought it was probably someone trying to con the British government. But on looking up E.J. Pennington it seems that he was a mixture of genuine inventor of mechanical devices, notably motor cycles, and possibly a fraudster. Has anyone ever come across reports of the British government taking an interest in "armoured automobiles" for use in South Africa? Or is it something I've simply not heard of before and they really were used?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._J._Pennington

Berenice,

How interesting! First I have heard of a 'tank' on the veldt

A demonstration of the Motor Scout by Frederick Simms in 1899.

"In 1896, E. J. Pennington, an American, designed (but never built) a steam-powered armored car equipped with metal skirts and two machine guns, one facing forward and the other facing to the rear. Three years later, English engineer F. R. Simms took a small steam-powered, four-wheeled vehicle and added a bulletproof shield as well as a machine gun. In 1902, Simms introduced the first armored car powered by an internal combustion engine. His "War Car," which carried three guns, weighed over five tons, rode on four steel-tired wheels, had a boat-shaped hull of thin armor, and was capable of a top speed of nine miles per hour."

www.bookrags.com/research/armored-vehicles-woi/

Said to be Pennington's 1896 design. I can't imagine anyone driving this around Brooklyn!

Frederick Simms' 1898 Motor War Scout car. 1.5 horsepower and armed with a maxim. Crewed by 4, it could also carry 12 infantry.