A car on a steam engine broke the speed record

The British made a racing car on a steam engine, which accelerated to an average maximum of 225 km / h and broke the record speed of a century (!) Prescription, writes New Scientist.

The car's engine burns natural gas to heat water in 12 boilers, each the size of a briefcase. Under pressure, steam heats up to 400 ° C and with great power rushes out of the boilers into a two-stage turbine, which rotates at 13,000 rpm, passing torque to the wheels.

The speed record was officially registered on August 26, 2009 by the experts of the International Motor Sports Federation ( FIA ). According to their requirements, the car had to drive 1.6 km twice within an hour in the direct and opposite directions so that a strong Californian wind would not affect the result.
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In two attempts, the three-ton 7.6-meter Charles Burnett III was able to accelerate to 219 and 243 km / h. He did it in eight minutes, although before entering the track he needed 4 km to accelerate and as much for subsequent braking.

Previous achievement speed steam engines 204 km / h belonged to a modified car of the popular brand Stanley Steamer and kept already since 1906. In those days, steam engines were considered the most promising technology for road transport. Everything changed by the 1920s in connection with the improvement of the internal combustion engine and cheaper gasoline.

Charles Burnett III has a theoretical speed limit of 274 km / h, so its creators intend to try again, even if the FIA ​​officially registers a 225 km / h record in the coming days.