CENTRAL HAWKE’S BAY
July 2020
BRANCH of the VINTAGE CAR CLUB of NZ (Inc) Lamb Country Branch Email: centralhawkesbay@vcc.org.nz Contributions to the BLEAT should be emailed to the Editor no later than (25th of each month) joycecalder@gmail.com
Club Nights
7.30pm 3rd Wednesday of every Month
Stanley Steamer Car—by Jeff Zurschmeide
Postal Address
ered by a steam engine sounds really strange, doesn’t it? Who would even think of building something like that? You would have to start the car’s boiler about 15 minutes before you could even think about driving anywhere, and there are all those knobs and valves to use, how complicated would that car be?. Steam engines were actually quite reliable back in the day. The advantages were no clutch, no transmission, no choke, no magneto, and no hand-cranking that could possibly spit back and break your arm.
NOMINATED POSITIONS
Steam engines tend to run forever because they’re not under any stress. Forget for a moment that you live in the 21stcentury, and imagine you’re back in 1910. The gasoline engine was first invented in the late 1800s, maybe 20 years ago, and you’ve only been seeing gas-powered cars on the street for 5 years or so. Henry Ford has just released the Model T in 1908, and even that will run on alcohol, kerosene, or gasoline, because there’s no general agreement that gasoline will be the fuel that everyone’s going to use. Even Detroit Electric is making some pretty cool electric cars that are as good as anything else on the road. But, on the other hand, you’ve been riding in steam trains your whole life. Your grandfather rode around with steam engines, and you see them all over the place. You know about steam technology and you understand it, so you trust it. And here’s the kicker: the steampowered car is by far the fastest and most powerful vehicle you can buy. While most gasolinepowered cars were pushing along at a maximum of 25 miles per hour, a steam-powered car could easily hit triple digits.
COMMITTEE Bruce Poole brucepoole1930@gmail.com 06 858 9940
C/-73 Porangahau Road The idea of a car pow- Waipukurau, 4200 CHAIRMAN Lynn Cross secross@xtra.co.nz 06 858 9814 SECRETARY Ken Lyons Ken.lyons@xtra.co.nz 06 858 8093 TREASURER Kaye Carswell wpkmotors@gmail.com 021 124 3620 CLUB CAPTAIN Rod McKenzie rod.mckenzie.wpk@xtra.co.nz 06 858 9562
Gary Weaver janetmweaver@gmail.com 06 858 9908 Iain and Eva Gollan nga-oki@xtra.co.nz 06 858 9105 Ruth Parker brparkrz@xtra.co.nz 06 858 5411 John Foot V.I.C. (I.D. Card) Coordinator jsfoot@xtra.co.nz 06 858 8301 PUBLICITY/WELFARE OFFICER Sandra Cross secross@xtra.co.nz 06 858 9814 EDITOR: joycecalder@gmail.com 022 166 1403