Developed by Dana in the 1970’s, the V-Drive system was originally designed to add 4-wheel drive to Chevy vans, Blazers, and station wagons and to keep the drive height low. The idea didn’t catch on with Chevy, so someone allegedly bought the rights and started the Vehicle Engineering and Manufacturing Company (VEMCO). The company was based out of Fort Wayne Indiana and did 4×4 van conversions. Ironically, if you look at the patent, the inventor Loren James O’Brien was from Fort Wayne. Coincidence? These V-Drive systems found their way in to both Chevy and Ford Vans from 1976 to 1980. The company went out of business sometime during the 1980’s.
According to the patent (US3814201 A) filed on June 4, 1974 (See the full patent further down):
It was filed on June 21, 1972 and assigned to the Dana Corporation, Toledo, Ohio.
The inventor was Loren James O’Brien of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
