The “world’s fastest kettle” makes an earlier attempt at a speed record in California

The land speed record for steam-powered cars has been broken for the first time in more than 100 years, after a British-built car achieved an average speed of 225 kilometres per hour (140 miles per hour) on Tuesday.

Many of the earliest road vehicles were powered by steam, which were easier and safer to start than early gas-powered cars, which had to be cranked by hand. But by the 1920s, the convenience of the internal combustion engine had essentially made steam cars obsolete.

Now, Charles Burnett III has driven them back into the spotlight. He reached speeds of 219 km/hr (136 mph) and 243 km/hr (151 mph) during two drives at California’s Edwards Air Force Base on Tuesday.

That smashes the previous official record of 204 km/hr (127 mph) set in 1906 by Fred Marriott of the US in a modified version of the then-popular steam car known as the Stanley Steamer. Officials from motor sport’s governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), are expected to ratify the new record shortly.


Superheated steam

Burnett drove a 7.6-metre-long, 3-tonne car called “Inspiration” that grew out of a 1997 student project at Southampton University.

The car’s engine burns liquid petroleum gas to heat water in 12 suitcase-sized boilers, creating steam heated to 400°C. The steam then drives a two-stage turbine that spins at 13,000 revolutions per minute to power its wheels.

The FIA requires two 1.6-km-long runs to be performed in opposite directions – to cancel out any effect from wind – within 60 minutes.

Ramp up

Inspiration made the first run at 0727 PDT (1427 GMT) and turned around for the return run with just eight minutes to spare. Before and after each timed run, it took 4 km to accelerate and another 4 km to slow down.

The record-setting drives came after several earlier attempts had been thwarted by electrical faults, valve problems, a storm and a tyre puncture the previous week. But the team is planning another run on Wednesday, to try to get even closer to the car’s theoretical top speed of 274 km/hr (170 mph).

Various groups are trying to develop new steam cars, but none have yet found an efficient way to convert the fuel’s energy into forward motion.