Inspiration (car)
Encyclopedia
Inspiration is a British
-designed and built steam
-propelled car designed by Glynne Bowsher and developed by the BSCC (British Steam Car Challenge) team.
Inspiration holds the World Land Speed Record
for a steam powered vehicle, set on August 26, 2009, when it achieved a speed of 148.308 mph (239 km/h). This improved on the record set the previous day which broke the oldest standing land speed record set in 1906 by Fred Marriott
in the Stanley Steamer
.
The car was driven by Charles Burnett III at the Edwards Air Force Base
in California
, United States
. It is 7.6 m long, 1.7 m wide and weighs 3 tons. It is powered by a two stage turbine
driven by superheated steam from 12 boilers containing distilled water. The boilers are heated by burners which burn Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) to produce 3 Megawatts (MW) of heat. The steam produced is at a temperature of 400C and a pressure of 4000 kN/m2 (40 bar). The engine is capable of developing 288 kW (360 hp) and consumes around 40 litres of water per minute).
The car will be retired to the National Motor Museum
Trust at Beaulieu
, England
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-designed and built steam
Steam
Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...
-propelled car designed by Glynne Bowsher and developed by the BSCC (British Steam Car Challenge) team.
Inspiration holds the World Land Speed Record
Land speed record
The land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a wheeled vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C flying start regulations are used, officiated by regional or national organizations under the auspices of the Fédération...
for a steam powered vehicle, set on August 26, 2009, when it achieved a speed of 148.308 mph (239 km/h). This improved on the record set the previous day which broke the oldest standing land speed record set in 1906 by Fred Marriott
Fred Marriott
Fred Marriott was an American race car driver. In 1906, he set the world land speed record at 127.659 mph at the Daytona Beach Road Course, while driving the Stanley Steamer...
in the Stanley Steamer
Stanley Steamer
The Stanley Motor Carriage Company was a manufacturer of steam-engine vehicles; it operated from 1902 to 1924. The cars made by the company were colloquially called Stanley Steamers, although several different models were produced.-Early history:...
.
The car was driven by Charles Burnett III at the Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is 7.6 m long, 1.7 m wide and weighs 3 tons. It is powered by a two stage turbine
Turbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
driven by superheated steam from 12 boilers containing distilled water. The boilers are heated by burners which burn Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) to produce 3 Megawatts (MW) of heat. The steam produced is at a temperature of 400C and a pressure of 4000 kN/m2 (40 bar). The engine is capable of developing 288 kW (360 hp) and consumes around 40 litres of water per minute).
The car will be retired to the National Motor Museum
National Motor Museum
The National Motor Museum is a museum in the village of Beaulieu, set in the heart of the New Forest, in the English county of Hampshire.- History :...
Trust at Beaulieu
Beaulieu, Hampshire
Beaulieu is a small village located on the south eastern edge of the New Forest national park in Hampshire, England and home to both Palace House and the British National Motor Museum.- History :...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.