The steamer is the granddaddy of all engines, dating back some 2,000 years. All of the earliest “cars” were steamers, and the golden age of steam cars in the teens and twenties resulted in some fabulously refined vehicles. The Stanley was very successful and set the world speed record in 1906 that was only broken recently; and the ultimate development, the highly refined Doble, created a legend. The advantages of the steam engine are the ability to burn almost any kind of fuel, generate maximum torque at starting rpm, no need for a transmission, and the ability to power the loudest of horns. There have been numerous attempts at automotive steam engine revivals; but their many downsides have relegated them to the obscure pages of wikipedia: delay in getting up a head of steam, bulky condensers, oil contamination of the steam, inefficiencies, etc.. But Cyclone Power Technologies has been developing a radical update on a compact, efficient, eco-friendly steam engine. Before we dismiss it as more hot vapor in our usual dismissive TTAC manner, let’s take a closer look first: (Read More…)
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08Suzuki - Maybe this is asking for a bit beyond, but when you say they use new welding techniques…does that entail friction welding? ‘Cause that’s...
snakebit - Waltercat, The M-B manual four-on-the-tree was fairly common on 220S’s. I used to chauffeur my aunt around during the summer...
wmba - It may well be illegal. I remember everyone getting in a huff back in 1965 about the PRNDL lever meaning the end of Chrysler’s...
LeeK - Excellent point.
fozone - I just wonder how many people buy these who actually need them? (ie, they use the 7-seat capacity rarely if ever.) It seems irrational with this sort of...
wmba - What I get from this review is roughly what I got from C/D about it. To paraphrase: There are many CUVs out there. This is one of them.
azmtbkr81 - Me too. Thankfully my GF likes hatchbacks and thinks CUVs are obnoxious. She’s a keeper.
WRohrl - @HDC – When exactly did Audi “retreat from the US market”? You can’t answer that as it did not occur. Many of your posts seem to have at least...
LeeK - A couple of corrections. IBM saw the market as 50,000 annually, not 5,000. IBM didn’t give the operating system to Microsoft because of the...
Onus - I agree. I much prefer sedans for that reason. The only plus hatches get are better head room for rear passengers with todays horrible styling...