King Rose Archives | Doble Steam Cars: Clean Running Classics from the 1920s @KingRoseArchives | Uploaded July 2024 | Updated October 2024, 4 hours ago.
Abner Doble was convinced that steam power was perfect for cars. The car did not need a clutch or transmission, and due to the engine being integrated directly into the rear axle, it did not require a drive shaft either. Like all steam vehicles, it could burn various liquid fuels with minimal modification. It was noticeably clean running — its fuel burned at high temperatures and low pressures — and produced very low pollution. In 1923, the price for a Doble steam car ranged from $8,800 to $11,200.
By 1922, the Model E had been developed, and is now considered to be the "classic" Doble with the most surviving examples. The Model E ran on a 142-inch (3,600 mm) wheelbase. Twenty-four Model E's were made between 1922 and 1925 with various body types from roadsters to limousines. Owners included Howard Hughes and the Maharajah of Bharatpur.
The initial monotube boiler design was perfected into the "American" type, producing steam at a pressure of 750 psi (52 bar) and at a temperature of 750 °F (400 °C). The tubing, formed from seamless cold-drawn steel, measured 575 ft 9 in (175 m) in total length. When coiled and assembled, it was 22 inches (560 mm) in diameter by 33 inches (840 mm) in height. The boiler was cold water tested to a pressure of 7,000 psi (480 bar).
The engine consisted of two 2-cylinder compound blocks placed back-to-back, forming a 4-cylinder Woolf compound unit with high-pressure cylinders on the outside. A piston valve with transfer ports was fitted between each high-pressure and low-pressure cylinder, similar to Vauclain's balanced compound system used on railway locomotives around 1900. Stephenson's valve gear replaced the previous Joy motion. This engine was used in all subsequent Doble vehicles.
#FunFact: One of the Hughes cars, a roadster with engine number 20, is currently owned by Jay Leno. Abner Doble owned the last Doble steam car: number 24.
For availability and licensing inquiries, please contact:
globalimageworks.com/contact
Ref: S050
Abner Doble was convinced that steam power was perfect for cars. The car did not need a clutch or transmission, and due to the engine being integrated directly into the rear axle, it did not require a drive shaft either. Like all steam vehicles, it could burn various liquid fuels with minimal modification. It was noticeably clean running — its fuel burned at high temperatures and low pressures — and produced very low pollution. In 1923, the price for a Doble steam car ranged from $8,800 to $11,200.
By 1922, the Model E had been developed, and is now considered to be the "classic" Doble with the most surviving examples. The Model E ran on a 142-inch (3,600 mm) wheelbase. Twenty-four Model E's were made between 1922 and 1925 with various body types from roadsters to limousines. Owners included Howard Hughes and the Maharajah of Bharatpur.
The initial monotube boiler design was perfected into the "American" type, producing steam at a pressure of 750 psi (52 bar) and at a temperature of 750 °F (400 °C). The tubing, formed from seamless cold-drawn steel, measured 575 ft 9 in (175 m) in total length. When coiled and assembled, it was 22 inches (560 mm) in diameter by 33 inches (840 mm) in height. The boiler was cold water tested to a pressure of 7,000 psi (480 bar).
The engine consisted of two 2-cylinder compound blocks placed back-to-back, forming a 4-cylinder Woolf compound unit with high-pressure cylinders on the outside. A piston valve with transfer ports was fitted between each high-pressure and low-pressure cylinder, similar to Vauclain's balanced compound system used on railway locomotives around 1900. Stephenson's valve gear replaced the previous Joy motion. This engine was used in all subsequent Doble vehicles.
#FunFact: One of the Hughes cars, a roadster with engine number 20, is currently owned by Jay Leno. Abner Doble owned the last Doble steam car: number 24.
For availability and licensing inquiries, please contact:
globalimageworks.com/contact
Ref: S050
