Jalopnik: don wales

British Steam Car Powers Past 127MPH Record, Unofficially

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EDT

The British team attempting to break the long-standing steam-powered land speed record have beaten the 127 MPH mark, unofficially. They still need a visit from the FIA and another pair of runs to make it official.

The fastest tea kettle in the world managed a top speed of 131MPH at California's Edwards Air Force Base on the dry lake bed there, with the LPG fired mini-boilers and 360 HP Curtis turbine engine working exactly as planned. In the long run, the team is aiming at crushing the record of 127.66 mph set in 1906 with a top speed of 150 MPH. At the moment though, the team must await certification of top speed by the FIA, which requires two runs within an hour to certify the record, and should be going on as of this writing. Good luck chaps, and blow a lot of hot air. [CNET]

Photo credit The British Steam Car Challenge

Steam-Powered Car Land Speed Record Test Successful

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST

It seems like the team of British speed freaks aiming at one of the oldest land speed records on the books is one step closer after successfully testing their steam-powered speedster.

On a low speed run, Don Wales, grandson of speed record legend Sir Malcolm Campbell tested it's LPG fired mini-boilers and 360 HP Curtis turbine engine, even testing the automatic shut down systems with great success.

The record-breaking run is planned for next summer and the team is working to secure the dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force base to make their attempt. The previous FIA-recognized steam-powered land-speed record is 127.66 mph, set in 1906 (the unofficial version is 145.607 MPH) and in June the team was aiming at 150 MPH to break the record, but now apparently they're more confident and have set their sights on a whopping 170 MPH. With steam! That baby's blowing a lot of hot air (and water vapor). [Telegraph]

Sir Malcolm Cambell's Grandson Takes Run At Steam-Powered Land Speed Record

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:30:00 EDT

Steam as a motive force is both powerful and difficult to contain, but a team of Britons will be doing their best to topple the steam-powered land speed record with this amazing vapor-driven monster. Granted, the FIA-recognized steam-powered land-speed record is only 127.66 mph and was set in 1906 (the unofficial version is 145.607 MPH), but this thing hopes to crush that speed with an expected top-end of over 150 MPH. That's damn fast, particularly considering the rate at which you have to build steam to get moving that quickly. The cool part about this machine is the lack of a big, locomotive-style boiler. Instead, it uses a series of LPG-fired mini-boilers feeding a 360 HP Curtis turbine engine.

At the helm will be Don Wales, grandson of none other than land speed record legend Sir Malcolm Campbell (who we've mentioned before). The team and the car will be making their way over to the Bonneville salt flats this summer to make an attempt fraught with sky-high blowing-up peril, but we image it'll be a good show. PopMech has the full story, and we're sure to hear more soon. [Popular Mechanics]