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

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]

[East Bay Express article, Escape From Berkeley FAQ]

My initial plan was to call today's challenge the "PCH Cleveland Steamer Edition," but that's just too easy, plus neither of the cars is anywhere near Cleveland... then the Toots & The Maytals song (above) got stuck in my head. So, Pressure Drop Edition it is.

There's nothing more macho than driving a vehicle that can have a boiler explosion at any time! Just think, you could be like the immortal Steve in the "Wreck Of The Old 97" and get scalded to death by the steam... and we've found a steam car that's already committed explosive double homicide: this 1917 Stanley Steamer. In fact, the owner (a "state deputy of boilers and pressure vessels") wants to be sure prospective buyers know that the explosion was so catastrophic that it "resulted in a CA safety law." It hasn't been run since 1990, the boiler is 44 years old, and you'll have to track down or fabricate plenty of interior and trim components, but you know you can make it happen!

Come on, the Stanley Steamer is the only steam-powered car that everyone has heard of- it's, like, a total cliché! When you're steam-powered car shopping, only a French steam car will do! Better stock up on fuel oil, because this 100+ year old Gardner-Serpollet Type D is just waiting for you... in Russia. The price is a bit daunting, we'll admit; in fact, it's the most expensive vehicle in Project Car Hell history: one million Euros! That's $1,500,000, give or take a few ten thousand, but just look at this... well, it's not quite a car these days, but it looks like many good components could be extracted from the fused-solid hulk somewhat weathered car, using methods perfected by archeologists digging for ancient bones. There are no details about the car in the listing, not even the year of manufacture, but just shoot an email to the totally non-dodgy-sounding Vadik Kidav and he'll give you the info.

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A Rankine unit basically turns your engine into a sustainable steam engine. The engine heats compressed water, therefore producing steam that turns a generator. See? Simple. If only the Doc and Marty had had a Rankine system in Back to the Future III... [Green Car Congress]

Full steam ahead [Telegraph.co.uk]

Related:
GM Sets Class Record at Bonneville Speed Week [internal]

Pistonheads updates us on the British Steam Car Challenge, a UK project to break the land-speed record for steam-powered cars — which has held since 1906 when Fred Marriott took a Stanley Steamer on to Daytona Beach and hit 127.7 mph (barely missing the a stand selling individual servings of Frump's Gelatinous Rum Beverages). The current team plans to break the 200 mph mark in the Inspiration — a sleek racer powered by a steam-driven turbine. Though, according to PH, members have recently had to completely rework the drivetrain due to an efficiency problem, the team wants to break the record in time for its 100th anniversary this year. Tea's on them.

Steam Challenge Update [Pistonheads]

Related:
Inspiration Steam Car Aims for World Record [internal]

It began with the first neanderthal who lit his mammoth-bone pipe over a methane vent in LaBrea and rocketed himself into Laguna Hills: Human propulson. After that, man developed more advanced forms of transport propelled by steam, electricity, coal, wombat feces, petroleum, turbines, french-fry oil and hydrogen — and hybrid-drive combinations of those sources. Now, two centuries of man's propulsive experiments will be on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles starting later this week. The exhibition will feature an array of electric, hydrogen and turbine vehicles from history, and new propulsion technologies that may emerge in the future. Sadly, the Laguna Hills Express didn't survive the ice age.

Related:
Steve McQueen Exhibit at the Petersen [internal]