In 1906, a water-powered supercar - called the Stanley Rocket - achieved an astonishing (at that time) record speed of 127.659mph in Florida.
That made it the fastest car in the world at the time.
But now a British team is hoping to break that 103 year old steam land record.
Leading the charge is test driver Don Wales, nephew of the late Donald Campbell and grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell who, between them, achieved more than 20 land and water speed records.
Donald Campbell remains the only person to set both land and water speed records in the same year (1964). In 1967, Campbell was killed when his Bluebird K7 flipped and disintegrated at a speed in excess of 300 mph on Coniston Water in the English Lake District. Bluebird lifted from the surface of the water and took off at a 45-degree angle. It somersaulted and plunged back into the lake, nose first. The boat then cartwheeled across the water before coming to rest. Campbell was killed instantly.
His last words were: "Pitching a bit down here...Probably from my own wash...Straightening up now on track...Rather close to Peel Island...Tramping like mad...er... Full power...Tramping like hell here... I can't see much... and the water's very bad indeed...I can't get over the top... I'm getting a lot of bloody row in here... I can't see anything... I'm going.... oh!"
The new British vehicle is a mixture of lightweight carbon-fibre composite and aluminium wrapped around a steel space frame chassis.
It is fitted with 12 boilers containing nearly two miles of tubing.
Just like the glory days when Britain led the world in steam power, Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) held in on-board tanks in the supercar is ignited to fire up burners producing three megawatts of heat - equivalent to 1,500 domestic kettles and capable producing 9,000 cups of tea.
This is used to heat 140 litres of distilled water which produces steam under pressure.
The British Steam Car team are based in Lymington, New Forest in Hampshire and, with minimum funds and by maximum British ingenuity and pluck , they have constructed the car in farm outbuildings belonging to a Mr Burnett.
And, in their quintessentially British way, they approached a tea giant - PG Tips - for sponsorship.
There is probably no place big enough for the attempt to take place in little Britain, so it will race along in America's Mojave desert.
Ready, set, blow: British steam car sets out to break 100-year-old land-speed record
By Ray Massey
25th March 2009
Daily Mail
A plucky band of British enthusiasts are gearing up to break a 100-year-old land speed record in a 21st century steam-powered supercar.
They are aiming to break the existing 127mph record in a 25-foot-long vehicle they have already dubbed 'the fastest kettle in the world'.
Designed to top 200mph, the supercar is attempting a record which has stood since 1906.
Back then, daredevil driver Fred Marriott drove a 'steamer' built by two enterprising brothers called Francis and Freelan Stanley.
Enlarge
Full steam ahead: Members of the team push the car into place during testing
Their water-powered supercar - called the Stanley Rocket - achieved an astonishing record speed of 127.659mph in Florida.
It made it the fastest car in the world at the time, beating rivals with internal combustion engines that were soon to become the norm.
The new British 21st century challenger is a sleek, streamlined car weighing just over three tons.
The vehicle is a mixture of lightweight carbon-fibre composite and aluminium wrapped around a steel space frame chassis.
It is fitted with 12 boilers containing nearly two miles of tubing.
Hotting up: Mechanics make some last-minute adjustments during testing at Thorney Island in Hampshire
Enlarge
Test driver Don Wales poses by the revolutionary car in the run-up to the record attempt
Leading the charge is test driver Don Wales, nephew of the late Donald Campbell and grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell who, between them, achieved more than 20 land and water speed records.
Several of the engineers were involved with previous record breaking vehicles and F1 teams including Thrust SSC.
In 1985, Bob Barber reached 145.607mph in a steam car but only made one run – to qualify as a world record the average speed of two runs in opposite directions is taken.
Like a giant kettle on a camper stove, Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) held in on-board tanks in the supercar is ignited to fire up burners producing three megawatts of heat - equivalent to 1,500 domestic kettles and capable producing 9,000 cups of tea.
This is used to heat 140 litres of distilled water which produces steam under pressure.
Safety first: The driver will be cocooned in this steel roll cage during the record attempt
The British team are aiming to beat the land speed record for the first time in 100 years
The distilled water is pumped into the boilers at the rate of 50 litres a minute, where steam is superheated to 400C and injected into the vehicles turbine at more than twice the speed of sound.
The sheer force produces the thrust that will propel it from rest to more than 200mph - pouring a jet of white condensed steam out of the back like an angry kettle.
The vehicle even incorporates the elements from two real kettles, used to warm up the liquid petroleum gas used to fire up the boilers.
How it works: The vehicle is fitted with 12 boilers, which create the steam (click to enlarge)
Massive Goodyear tyres and disc brakes bring it back to a stop - with a parachute system just in case.
The actual record attempt is to take place on a dry lake bed on land at Edward's Airforce Base in California's Mojave desert in June, the scene of space shuttle flights and the base for countless military operations.
Speedster: An early version of the Stanley Steam Rocket during a record attempt in 1903
Enlarge
The Stanley Steamer before and after an accident at Daytona Beach in the U.S.
The driver on the day itself will be Charles Burnett III, a nephew of Lord Montague of Beaulieu, who has achieved many marine speed records.
The British Steam Car team are based in Lymington, New Forest in Hampshire and, with minimum funds by maximum British ingenuity and pluck , they have constructed the car in farm outbuildings belonging to Mr Burnett.
'It is a 'garden shed' enterprise operation,' admitted their spokeswoman.
'The project has a fraction of the funding of some world speed record attempts. But we still aim to bring the steam powered world record back to Britain.'
Unfortunately a final phase of testing on MOD land in Hampshire aimed at getting the vcar moving on tarmac ended in disappointment and had to be aborted because of a technical glitch involving a blockage in one of the micro-pipes.
Despite hours trying to launch the car, project manager Matt Candy called off efforts for it to be test-driven at low speed.
He said it would go back to the workshop before taking part in a private test run in the next couple of weeks.
An enthusiast recreated the original Stanley Steamer
'The car is slightly more complicated than I would have liked and it would be nice to simplify the design but it is testing and we are pushing it to its limits,' he said.
'We will put our best endeavours into making it work.'
The team expects to be in the United States up to four weeks before the record attempt to give them enough time to rectify any failures.
A spokesman for the team said: 'The record has been in place since 1906 and if it was easy, then we would have already broken it by now.'
Test driver Don Wales said:'We're proud to fly the flag for Britain and hope to bring this record back to UK shores. It would be fantastic.
'It's a real derring go adventure full of typical British eccentricity - but lot's of fun.'
On the boil: The car took the United States by storm
Project manager Mr Candy said: 'We are doing it on a shoe-string and have been donated parts and paint which has kept the show on a road.
'We've even called referred to the car as being "essence of E-Bay." It's a real garden shed enterprise.'
He added:'There are two real kettle elements at the hear to the car, so if all else fails we can at least make a cuppa.'
However when they did approach tea giant PG Tips for sponsorship, they weren't offered any help.
'I thought that showed a bit of a lack of imagination. Imagine the fun they could have had,' Mr Candy said.
'A giant knitted tea cosy to cover the car or staging the biggest brew up in the world using the car. Maybe we should try the Tetley tea folk next?'
Enlarge
High hopes: The team line up behind the car which could break the century-old record
dailymail.co.uk
That made it the fastest car in the world at the time.
But now a British team is hoping to break that 103 year old steam land record.
Leading the charge is test driver Don Wales, nephew of the late Donald Campbell and grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell who, between them, achieved more than 20 land and water speed records.
Donald Campbell remains the only person to set both land and water speed records in the same year (1964). In 1967, Campbell was killed when his Bluebird K7 flipped and disintegrated at a speed in excess of 300 mph on Coniston Water in the English Lake District. Bluebird lifted from the surface of the water and took off at a 45-degree angle. It somersaulted and plunged back into the lake, nose first. The boat then cartwheeled across the water before coming to rest. Campbell was killed instantly.
His last words were: "Pitching a bit down here...Probably from my own wash...Straightening up now on track...Rather close to Peel Island...Tramping like mad...er... Full power...Tramping like hell here... I can't see much... and the water's very bad indeed...I can't get over the top... I'm getting a lot of bloody row in here... I can't see anything... I'm going.... oh!"
The new British vehicle is a mixture of lightweight carbon-fibre composite and aluminium wrapped around a steel space frame chassis.
It is fitted with 12 boilers containing nearly two miles of tubing.
Just like the glory days when Britain led the world in steam power, Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) held in on-board tanks in the supercar is ignited to fire up burners producing three megawatts of heat - equivalent to 1,500 domestic kettles and capable producing 9,000 cups of tea.
This is used to heat 140 litres of distilled water which produces steam under pressure.
The British Steam Car team are based in Lymington, New Forest in Hampshire and, with minimum funds and by maximum British ingenuity and pluck , they have constructed the car in farm outbuildings belonging to a Mr Burnett.
And, in their quintessentially British way, they approached a tea giant - PG Tips - for sponsorship.
There is probably no place big enough for the attempt to take place in little Britain, so it will race along in America's Mojave desert.
Ready, set, blow: British steam car sets out to break 100-year-old land-speed record
By Ray Massey
25th March 2009
Daily Mail
A plucky band of British enthusiasts are gearing up to break a 100-year-old land speed record in a 21st century steam-powered supercar.
They are aiming to break the existing 127mph record in a 25-foot-long vehicle they have already dubbed 'the fastest kettle in the world'.
Designed to top 200mph, the supercar is attempting a record which has stood since 1906.
Back then, daredevil driver Fred Marriott drove a 'steamer' built by two enterprising brothers called Francis and Freelan Stanley.
Enlarge
Full steam ahead: Members of the team push the car into place during testing
Their water-powered supercar - called the Stanley Rocket - achieved an astonishing record speed of 127.659mph in Florida.
It made it the fastest car in the world at the time, beating rivals with internal combustion engines that were soon to become the norm.
The new British 21st century challenger is a sleek, streamlined car weighing just over three tons.
The vehicle is a mixture of lightweight carbon-fibre composite and aluminium wrapped around a steel space frame chassis.
It is fitted with 12 boilers containing nearly two miles of tubing.
Hotting up: Mechanics make some last-minute adjustments during testing at Thorney Island in Hampshire
Enlarge
Test driver Don Wales poses by the revolutionary car in the run-up to the record attempt
Leading the charge is test driver Don Wales, nephew of the late Donald Campbell and grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell who, between them, achieved more than 20 land and water speed records.
Several of the engineers were involved with previous record breaking vehicles and F1 teams including Thrust SSC.
In 1985, Bob Barber reached 145.607mph in a steam car but only made one run – to qualify as a world record the average speed of two runs in opposite directions is taken.
Like a giant kettle on a camper stove, Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) held in on-board tanks in the supercar is ignited to fire up burners producing three megawatts of heat - equivalent to 1,500 domestic kettles and capable producing 9,000 cups of tea.
This is used to heat 140 litres of distilled water which produces steam under pressure.
Safety first: The driver will be cocooned in this steel roll cage during the record attempt
The British team are aiming to beat the land speed record for the first time in 100 years
The distilled water is pumped into the boilers at the rate of 50 litres a minute, where steam is superheated to 400C and injected into the vehicles turbine at more than twice the speed of sound.
The sheer force produces the thrust that will propel it from rest to more than 200mph - pouring a jet of white condensed steam out of the back like an angry kettle.
The vehicle even incorporates the elements from two real kettles, used to warm up the liquid petroleum gas used to fire up the boilers.
How it works: The vehicle is fitted with 12 boilers, which create the steam (click to enlarge)
Massive Goodyear tyres and disc brakes bring it back to a stop - with a parachute system just in case.
The actual record attempt is to take place on a dry lake bed on land at Edward's Airforce Base in California's Mojave desert in June, the scene of space shuttle flights and the base for countless military operations.
Speedster: An early version of the Stanley Steam Rocket during a record attempt in 1903
Enlarge
The Stanley Steamer before and after an accident at Daytona Beach in the U.S.The driver on the day itself will be Charles Burnett III, a nephew of Lord Montague of Beaulieu, who has achieved many marine speed records.
The British Steam Car team are based in Lymington, New Forest in Hampshire and, with minimum funds by maximum British ingenuity and pluck , they have constructed the car in farm outbuildings belonging to Mr Burnett.
'It is a 'garden shed' enterprise operation,' admitted their spokeswoman.
'The project has a fraction of the funding of some world speed record attempts. But we still aim to bring the steam powered world record back to Britain.'
Unfortunately a final phase of testing on MOD land in Hampshire aimed at getting the vcar moving on tarmac ended in disappointment and had to be aborted because of a technical glitch involving a blockage in one of the micro-pipes.
Despite hours trying to launch the car, project manager Matt Candy called off efforts for it to be test-driven at low speed.
He said it would go back to the workshop before taking part in a private test run in the next couple of weeks.
An enthusiast recreated the original Stanley Steamer
'The car is slightly more complicated than I would have liked and it would be nice to simplify the design but it is testing and we are pushing it to its limits,' he said.
'We will put our best endeavours into making it work.'
The team expects to be in the United States up to four weeks before the record attempt to give them enough time to rectify any failures.
A spokesman for the team said: 'The record has been in place since 1906 and if it was easy, then we would have already broken it by now.'
Test driver Don Wales said:'We're proud to fly the flag for Britain and hope to bring this record back to UK shores. It would be fantastic.
'It's a real derring go adventure full of typical British eccentricity - but lot's of fun.'
On the boil: The car took the United States by storm
Project manager Mr Candy said: 'We are doing it on a shoe-string and have been donated parts and paint which has kept the show on a road.
'We've even called referred to the car as being "essence of E-Bay." It's a real garden shed enterprise.'
He added:'There are two real kettle elements at the hear to the car, so if all else fails we can at least make a cuppa.'
However when they did approach tea giant PG Tips for sponsorship, they weren't offered any help.
'I thought that showed a bit of a lack of imagination. Imagine the fun they could have had,' Mr Candy said.
'A giant knitted tea cosy to cover the car or staging the biggest brew up in the world using the car. Maybe we should try the Tetley tea folk next?'
Enlarge
High hopes: The team line up behind the car which could break the century-old record
dailymail.co.uk
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