One of the best things about Jay Leno’s enormous collection of automobiles is how unusual many of the vehicles are. Unsatisfied with just super or hypercars, he really seems to like exploring the stranger corners of automotive history.
One obvious example is his affinity for steam-powered cars and in his latest video, he shows his audience just how much work goes into getting one from dead cold to steaming hot and on the move.
The 1909 White Model M, though, has a steam generator, not a boiler, like you might find on a Stanley Steamer. The difference is subtle but important.
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“Kinda like a tankless water heater, you have coils, okay and the fire comes up through the coils and so water goes through the coils, the coils glow red hot, and it makes steam instantly,” he explains. “So you’re using the steam as you’re making it.”
The Stanley Steamer, or any steam-powered vehicle with a boiler, requires the operator to heat up the full tank before you can start moving. That means that getting ready for a drive takes a lot longer than it does with this Model M. That doesn’t make it fast, though.
The Model M requires a lot of fluids to get it going. Not only does it need water to make steam, but it also needs gas to warm it up, hexane to keep the pilot light going, and oil to lubricate the engine.
Since the Model M doesn’t get used daily, Leno opts to drain all of the fluid lines and refill them every time he uses the car in order to avoid any mishaps, which adds to the ordeal. Once all of the fluids are replaced, he ignites the pilot light, allows it to heat up for about 10 minutes, and then there’s enough steam to start thinking about driving.
He’s not quite driving yet, though. There are cylinder draincocks to open, steam to adjust, and main burners to open before the steam engine can start turning. There are also all kinds of gauges to keep track of and lots of temperatures to manage. But once it does, it really sounds like a train.
In all, it takes quite a while before the car is actually ready to drive. Once it’s good to go, though, the engine is surprisingly civilized. IT takes a lot of work, but it’s a fascinating look at an older form of motoring that delivers its own delights.