A single prototype was ordered by the British Army in April 1899, a few months before the Second Boer War broke out.
[1] Because of difficulties that arose, including a gearbox destroyed by a road accident, Vickers did not deliver the prototype until 1902,[1] and by then the South African wars were over.
The vehicle had Vickers armour 6 mm thick and was powered by a four-cylinder 3.3-litre[1] 16-horsepower Cannstatt Daimler engine, giving it a maximum speed of around 9 miles per hour (14.5 km/h).
The Simms Motor War Car was presented at the Crystal Palace, London, in April 1902.
[4] Another armoured car of the period was the French Charron, Girardot et Voigt 1902, presented a few weeks before at the Salon de l'Automobile et du cycle in Brussels, on 8 March 1902.