Steam powered vw's :tu:

I had heard rumours that back in wwII germans had encorporated the power of steam into kubels and kommanderwagons (however u spell it) and even some kafers.

Has anyone got any info or pics? or anyone here can explain the story behind it? I'd love to see how it was set up, and would even love to undergo a steam powered vw as a replica one many decade away when i have time.

Where was the boiler located? coal powered? gearbox ratios changed? did they even have a gearbox? or was final drive determined by the driven flywheel as the engine would have had rediculous torque...

I been watching vids of traction engines and fell in love with them. Theres just this class and elegance of engineering that saturates them, and then thoughts related back to early vw.

regards,
Christopher.

To start it off, i found an aftermarket steam powered kombi :P

Your thinking of the wood burner's after the war when fuel was short. Don't know how it worked, but somehow they burned wood to make coke that gave off a gas that ran the engine.
http://www.autonopedia.org/crafts_and_technology/Woodgas/Wood_Gasification_for_Power_Production.html

Ah i c Mat. Dang! ah wells... I guess a wood burner in the back would mean instant portable bbq, but not what i was hoping 🙁

I did find this though, cept its steam turbine powered vw as opposed to normal reciprocating steam turbine engine.
sounds like a jet plane through a airport at the end.

Bajachris, that video is mental! I love the fact that he's running it on hydrogen peroxide!

Friends of mine built a wood gassifier which produced enough wood gas to run a unmodified (landcruiser?) engine. Will see if I can find the link to the youtube vid they had made.



This isnt them though a good trailer mounted gassifier running a beetle engine 👍

bajachris88 wrote:Ah i c Mat. Dang! ah wells... I guess a wood burner in the back would mean instant portable bbq, but not what i was hoping 🙁

I did find this though, cept its steam turbine powered vw as opposed to normal reciprocating steam turbine engine.
sounds like a jet plane through a airport at the end.

Can't imagine the RTA allowing us to be that innovative. Would be too noisy for them.

The wood burners sat where the bonnet and fuel tank was...

The bulging bonnet before the super beetles bulging bonnet..

LEE 68autobug

some interesting stuff here

There are a number of modules on Youtube