British steam car team suffers setback, record attempt still planned
We have good news and bad news to report regarding the British team that hopes to set a new land speed record for a steam-powered car. First, the bad: The car completely failed to operate during an important testing session that took place last week. The good: The record, which currently sits at 127.659 miles per hour, has been around since 1906, so we think their bid to establish a new mark is safe.
The reason cited for the vehicle's failure is a problem with the car's water filter. Apparently, too much sediment was allowed into the intricate plumbing, which led to a clog somewhere in the system. While a breakdown is a normal part of a day's work when working on prototype vehicles like this, the fact that it happened in front of a ton of media outlets was a big setback for the team. No matter, a run up towards 170 mph is still the team's goal, and that's likely to take place later this year in Bonneville, barring any more major disasters of course.
[Source: Wired]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Chris M 6:55PM (4/02/2009)
The amazing thing is that the land speed record for steamers (127.659 mph) is just a bit over the land speed record for wind powered vehicles (126.1 mph). The wind powered land speed record is a lot more impressive!
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Steve 9:15PM (4/09/2009)
I concur.