This Pensioner Has Built An Awesome Steam-Powered Land Rover
This is a five-decade-old series Land Rover that has been converted to run on steam. That’s right, it swaps the regular engine for a steam-puffing, chimney-clad, coal-fired burner.
At a cost of £24,000, the deep irony of the build isn’t lost on us. The car that became the Defender, itself a vehicle that EU law has deemed archaic and no longer fit to meet emissions rules, has been adapted to run directly on the external combustion of coal to fire a steam engine; a technology that peaked in the 1800s. For that reason alone it’s bloody wonderful.
The external crankshaft, traditional steam engine nose and the fabulously old-fashioned choice of name (Mildred) are more reasons why we love it.
Pensioner Frank Rothwell, from Oldham in the English North West, spent over 400 hours on the astonishing project; 200 building the steam engine from scratch and another 200 integrating it into the car.
At the moment its top speed is projected at 12-15mph, and it hasn’t really got the guts to climb hills very well, but it’s still a glorious example of proper British shedgineering.
Rothwell, 67, is a retired engineer and businessman, who, by his own admission, “likes doing things that are difficult.” No kidding. “We all need a hobby,” he says in the video at the top of this article. Hats off to him for doing this instead of building ships in bottles or collecting stamps…
Comments
Rolling Coal: Literal edition
Rolling coal*
This car’s combined age with the steam engine probably predates the concept of the shed itself
m e t a t h i n k i n g
Subaru Equivalent
What am I looking at…
Onboard vape thingy?
This is absolutely beautiful!
the new term roadtrain has been created….
To be fair, the steam engine actually reached its peak in the mid- to late-1940s (in America, at least). Union Pacific’s Big Boy fleet and FEF-3s, the New York Central Niagara and the highly advanced home-built engines of the Norfolk and Western were all pushing the limits of the steam engine like never before, right up until the mid 1950’s when diesels proved more cost-effective.
It would be the late 1800s for the UK given the massive industrial prowess we had. Entire factories used to be ran on one gigantic steam engine. If you see a picture of an old British factory with a circular hole in the side near the top of the building, that used to be where the crank-shaft went.
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This is the most British vehicle ever. Fred Dibnah would be proud!
Fred what a lad, first person i thought of when this came up
I love it! It only needs a bigger and more powerfull engine with a gearbox. I’m actually curious how would a car like this with about 50hp steam engine and about bilion NM of toque would do offroad. Should be quite good with low gearing and certainly it would be cooler than some weird EV stuff that people are trying to make now.
Alright. I’m far less familiar with British, and moreso stationary steam engines. Locomotives are where I’m most familiar. Thanks.