1925 Doble Series E Steam Car - Jay Leno's Garage

1925 Doble Series E Steam Car. Behold - the king of all steam cars!
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1925 Doble Series E Steam Car - Jay Leno's Garage
• 1925 Doble Series E St...
Jay Leno's Garage
/ jaylenosgarage

[@dankatz5224]

I love that he blurs out the license plate, as if you're going to see a big grey Doble in LA and not know it's Jay!

[@Veikra]

its not for that reason. its because the state makes a piss poor job of protecting sensitive information. You can easily find adress name and more just from the license plate. It should be illegal but gov gets away with everything

[@Clay3613]

@@Veikra I found celebrity addresses fairly easily when I worked at Harbor Freight.

[@Veikra]

@@Clay3613 people give all their information to anyone that asks, then wonder why such things happen.

[@thomaserickson7972]

@@Clay3613 Yeah. Jay's garage by the airport is hard to find. And it's not like he drives around LA in flashy cars honking at all the ladies

[@joshacollins84]

Thia was from the website days and they did things a little differently then.

[@skog77]

"We're in the STEAM section of my garage!" There's something you don't hear every day!

[@mahmoudrefaat3009]

I never hear section or garage 😂

[@mustavogaia2655]

this cars remembers us why professional drivers were called chauffeur - warmer in french. Some cars really needed to be warmed up.

[@mrdanforth3744]

Chaud = hot, Chauffeur = fireman, the man who shovels coal into the boiler on a steam train. Called engine driver in England or engineer in north America.

[@herrunsinn774]

Not to be confused with a "fluffer". That's entirely from another profession (but still very French).

[@yammmit]

these cars* remind us*

[@HooyahPeacock]

@@yammmit duurrr look at me I correct grammar to deal with my insecurities of being a loser duuurrrr I don't know how to see the big picture duuurrrr

[@yammmit]

RantChant 316 That’s what people tend to think and you’re free to insult my implied “insecurities” if it makes you feel better about your own.

[@harrisonwinslow1302]

I was driving in Burbank years ago and saw Jay Leno driving this Doble, I was in a VW Cabrio and spoke with Jay window-window, I asked him what it was, he told me and said he was thinking of buying it, I believe, I love these videos that Jay has created, very informative.

[@lucfxgambitgaming7494]

Glad you met this legend IRL.

[@DanRustle]

sure pal and im the owner of the wearhouse jay has his garage in.

[@roastingpeanuts]

@@DanRustle liar

[@georgecostanza2695]

So glad there are guys like Jay who preserve these marvels of engineering!

[@spacetrucker2952]

Buck-o? Who do you think you are? Richard Cunningham?

[@davidelliott5843]

It’s good to see it’s preserved but if it needs super fancy rocket engine materials there’s a fundamental design fault.

[@sandervanderkammen9230]

​@@davidelliott5843 Modern cars also use exotic high temperature nickel alloys for the exhaust valves, seats and in the turbocharger. The fatal design flaw in the Doble is the Rankine Cycle engine.

[@DavidSmith-sb2ix]

I learn new things about old cars every time I watch one of Jay's videos. I didn't realize that they still made steam cars in 1925.

[@MrWolfSnack]

"We use furnace cement, you cant really get asbestos anymore." again lmao

[@midlantic1]

This car really is an engineering marvel. Unreal how fast you were going on the highway as smooth as silk with no steam clouds around you. Really amazing. Thanks for sharing Jay. Also thank you for 22 great years on the tonight show!

[@barryb.benson6614]

1000 pound feet of torque, in 1925

[@doktorbimmer]

*1,000 lb-ft only at rest, (0-rpm 0-mph) The Doble only produced 150 horsepower max. when new, not impressive in 6,000 lb vehicle.*

[@andrashorvath6300]

@@doktorbimmer 150 hp in 1925? That's impressive as hell too. A Duesenberg of the era made something around 90 hp.

[@doktorbimmer]

*Supercharged versions of Duesenberg's straight-8 could produce over 400 horsepower...* *Bugatti's 12.7 liter straight-8 300 horsepower* *Hispano-Suiza H6 160 horsepower* *Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A 160 horsepower* *Mercedes-Benz and Rolls-Royce did not disclose actual horsepower but both produced engines in excess of 200 horsepower.*

[@seth_stewart]

@@doktorbimmer That's when you need torque... getting a load moving

[@derekspender7948]

Between January 1950 and January 1954 I served an engineering Apprenticeship with A&G Price in Thames New Zealand. Some of the older engineers remembered working with Doble, building some engines and boilers for some buses that he built in New Zealand. They were very proud of the fact that one of the buses regularly broke speed records, for buses, between Auckland and Thames.

[@fizzguts]

The 2 buses in service were only used round Auckland. They were under developed and broke down a lot. When they ran they were OK but they cost Prices a bucket load of money and left Prices with nothing much. One of the engines (2 cylinder double acting compounds) is in England and one is in New Zealand. Some parts survived but all patterns for the castings were scraped. Info C/o of the Bell family who ran the project at A&G Prices.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

@@fizzguts Only a 2 cylinder compound? One high pressure cylinder and one low pressure cylinder?

[@artdecotimes2942]

@@fizzguts your talking to someone who made them and learned ton a tills on it. Probably born 1932 if I were to say..of course that was 6 years prior.

[@fizzguts]

I have no idea what you are trying to say.

[@superfluous9726]

"You can get a thousand miles on one tank." *Gets 70.*

[@quicksilver2510]

Sounds like the claims made by smart phone manufacturers on battery life.

[@flygirlfly]

Jay Leno is The Grandmaster & Keeper Of Automotive History.

[@martinda7446]

I wonder if Jay reads these comments?....Just a wonderful film and I think Jay has been able to use his considerable assets to give us something nobody else could. Even though he can afford to do what a lot of us dream about we should not underestimate the time and effort he takes to share. Where else could you have seen and learned such things about this magnificent machine.. Thanks Mr Leno ))

[@306champion]

Exactly Martin, I hope Jay gets tremendous joy from sharing this because I love seeing it and learning about stuff I never knew existed.

[@granthart7120]

He would have been my favorite teacher in high school.

[@brandonlewis2599]

"This is for smaller turns, this is for bigger turns." Lolololol.....

[@snowzZzZz]

If I heard someone say that upon entering, no way would they be allowed to drive that thing. lol

[@theoneandonlyrustyshaklefo6256]

BlackSn0wz It was a joke you idiot.

[@RadicatTat]

Excellent video. My father (born 1917) told me about being present as a boy in the late 20's in Abilene, Texas, when two men argued about who had the fastest vehicle. One had a Stanley Steamer. With great hoopla and a large crowd, they lined up for a drag race. it must have been an event that no one wanted to miss seeing. As the steamer was firing up, blowing its whistle, and scaring everyone with the steam clouds, someone gave the signal to go. Then the excitement started. The gasoline car was off the line and on its way, The steamer started spinning its wheels and went completely out of control, swapping ends, going this way and that. Men were falling over themselves running, women screaming with their kids in tow. it was certainly something never forgotten.

[@RadicatTat]

When I was told this story (in the 50's), i asked my father what kind of car was the gasoline car. He said, the story always told was that it was a Deusenberg. Every time he told the story, it got more comical. He and his brother were always interested in cars. They started building dune buggies (jaloppies) in the 30's to roam the oil fields salvaging old steel to make a buck during the Great Depression. Father always had some car or pickup in the shop. His older brother bought a new VW and immediately disassembled and shortened it, putting a jeep-like body on it. It is the first VW dune buggy that I ever saw. It must have been an early model, because it had the swing-arm front suspension. Great memories.

[@mctavish199]

Surely VWs had torsion bar front suspension and swing axle rear suspension. Great but faulty memories.

[@777jones]

So it is a pointless story that ends “that was a day to remember!” Probably is a real story from the period! My grandfather loved steam cars and hated Packard enthusiasts.

[@aman4peace]

I thank Jay Leno for giving this a show.

[@aman4peace]

good you liked them

[@sixmagpies]

Thank's Jay. If it weren't for people like you, wonderful engineering like the Doble would be lost to history or, more accurately, lost to the coming generations.

[@TheNotthead]

I never liked the Tonight Show. Jay is a great guy. But this show is so much better than the talk show. Nice to see someone truly enthusiastic about these old rides. Good stuff...

[@areguapiri]

You're a diehard republican.

[@jesuitraiders]

I really hope that Jay reads these comments because I love the job he does. He has a passion and a fire for all things mechanical. My dad is a former chief engineer from the Navy and worked on steam plants and seeing the same technology compacted to a car really excites him (and the rest of us kids who are also naval officers). Just a tremendous job!

[@MegaHellsKitchen]

Nobody else but Jay Leno drives a 1925 car for the viewers to enjoy. For that reason, Jay Leno channel is the best auto channel to watch. Much love from Canada Jay.

[@rickarra9396]

I know I forgot more than most people know about 60's - 80's cars, but Jay is an encyclopedia on all types of mechanics. Amazingly knowledgeable

[@elistickband]

The steam section of my garage is where I keep the kettle

[@havnofear2764]

This is beyond any description and I cannot express adequate appreciation for your work at the Garage with your team of experts and of course your Job on the tonight show, another thank you for sure, and keep 'em going there,

[@anthonypropst1818]

To say that Jay Leno is a gear head is a understatement for sure. He is actually a genius in blue jeans. Outstanding!

[@mummyjohn]

Absolutely incredible machine. As an engineer, I can't begin to describe what I'd give to be able to have been alive then, working on projects like this.

[@hyperdude144]

IRL steampunk car. Amazing.

[@VivaLePunk1307]

It's fun to watch Jay explain how to get these steam cars running. It's like he's telling a story while pulling levers. What I find amazing is how he appears to drive this one so effortlessly where I think I would be freaking out trying to keep a handle on all the gauges. Really fascinating to watch. Thanks!

[@kevinstephenson3880]

Besler Brothers made a steam powered airplane in Oakland, CA in 1933. The airplane a modified version of a Travel Air 2000 increased the horsepower from 90HP OX-5 engine to around 150HP with steam power! It looks very much like the Doble engine you have in your car. To my knowledge it's the only airplane that flew on steam power. I love all this "Steam Stuff"! Keep it coming!!

[@LDTV22OfficialChannel]

My mom has known Jay for years because she lived in the area. If I ever go back to LA, I might be able to take a tour.

[@RADIUMGLASS]

Wow what a great car, the best episode I've seen so far. Impressive how they didn't use a clutch for those steam cars. Easy for anyone to drive. And no big cloud of steam. Jay explains features on all of his cars better than anyone else.

[@Ondelay]

He so totally loves his cars, it's great. Thanks for sharing your passion Jay!

[@jimmotormedic]

Can you imagine if we went back to cars like this today? It would almost instantly take half the idiots off the roads. You almost have to have a degree to start it and another one to drive it. I don't even want to think about maintenance and repair. But it's really neat car and it's nice to see that they are being restored and talked about, and more importantly being driven! Museums are nice but you never get a feel for what it is really is. Jay Leno is really the only person that shares his collection with the world like this.

[@user-xj8os4cr1l]

I’ve learned more about the steam engine from Jay than I did all my years in school.

[@gmctech]

By far my most favorite vehicle of anything Leno owns or that I've encountered in my life thus far....

[@rml695]

That makes two of us. This car just puts a smile on my face. :)

[@mrnicktoyou]

Never thought about it before but the cameraman is very good. He captures everything Jay explains from ideal angles. Well done.

[@sreedharcp]

Excellent technology they used to build this car. The world may go back and adopt the old fashion once again.

[@sandervanderkammen9230]

Not a chance in hell.. Steam cars were already obsolete when this car was built... they are not going to come back.

[@georgecostanza2695]

Watching this for the tenth time in ‘23! Always cracks me up how Jim looked like he was totally caught off guard @3:11 and just taking a guess when Jay asked him how hot a welding torch is… but he was right on😂 Most gas welding is done right around 6000, but some arc welders can get up to 10,000 degrees.

[@robertphillips6296]

Whisper quiet, thank you for posting.

[@davidparker9231]

Thank you Jay Leno.... having been fascinated by steam engines since I was a child this car is incredible... I hope to get to see on in person one day

[@user-ib4qp9no9v]

I so love watching Jay geek out over his steam cars. I've learned more about steam cars watching his videos than anywhere else on the internet. Jay, thank you for sharing your beautiful machines with us. If it weren't for you educating and entertaining us with these awesome machines, I think that soon there wouldn't have been anyone to document and showcase them before they were all gone.

[@JR-sk3jy]

I'd love to see a modern steam car - bet it would be much better than what we have now. The Doble is the coolest car I've ever seen!

[@Redmenace96]

Love these old ones! Jay is pumping out information! Feel like I know something about steam engines, now. Thank you, Jay.

[@mariominayag]

"When the fire gets hot" - Jay Leno xD man, i love this guy.

[@henrikbragge]

Jay Leno is a marvellous man who has done incredibly much for the understanding of the technical/mechanical issues of different vehicles of the world. It’s fantastic that he wants to share this with the rest of us. Let him continue!

[@leukota]

Jay always expresses more enthusiasm when it comes to his steam cars, he was on TV a while ago, I forget the show, but he said, "You get people that brag about their yachts that cost millions and millions of dollars, well that's nothing compared to steam powered cars." Don't quote me on it, but it was in that respect. Compare this video to any other video of his, and you'll know that steam makes him very happy.

[@komerwest9520]

It would make my year to spend a day with Jay riding in some of his GREAT CARS.

[@michaelwilkening8542]

I just want to be allowed to wander through his collection. Promise not to touch anything and I will also wipe up a drooling off the floor.

[@NeighborhoodCarReviews]

1,000 ft/lbs of torque. Wow.

[@badbeardbill9956]

Lots of wheel thrust, especially with those huge wheels.

[@doktorbimmer]

Bad Beard Bill No ponies.. no speed.. a Hyundai Elantra would blow this heap away on a long, steep grade

[@doktorbimmer]

Bad Beard Bill And use a third as much fuel doing it...

[@badbeardbill9956]

The real doktorbimmer Clearly you don't understand cars. That's fine, but don't pretend that you do. It's just sad. Horsepower is only relevant in that it's a good rule of thumb for torque at a certain RPM. With steam, torque is constant from RPM = 0. HP becomes nearly irrelevant. What matters is wheel thrust and wheel RPM. Maximum engine RPM in a direct drive determines max wheel RPM. Bigger wheels means more distance traveled with less RPM. This means more speed with less RPM. More wheel thrust (a result of bigger wheels) means more acceleration. The Doble has the performance of a modern car in terms of acceleration and speed.

[@HobbyOrganist]

The "doktor" is just an idiot who wants to be combative in every post on everything, seen this idiot before elsewhere, now I blocked him. Like I said earlier, a steam car is NOT practical for people who want to drive 4 blocks to get a quart of milk, even a gasoline car isn't practical for them. The steam car like this is a touring car, something that would have been taken out and driven a couple hundred miles on a Sunday jaunt and back- for that it's the type of use it is most practical for. No transmission, no gearbox, no shifting or clutch, carburetor, distributor, computer system, emissions control/cat converter crap etc etc it's a SIMPLE steam engine and they were building those all over the place in the mid 1800s, they didn't need super special precision manufacturing. Since the steam engine has so much torque, the wheel diameter could be larger to get more speed at lower RPM's too, and at 6,000# dropping 1, 2-3K worth of weight off it with lighter weight materials would also mean a smaller power plant could be used with it's reduction in fuel use. They build gasoline cars mainly because they can be made mass produced cheap in the existing tooling and plants by thousands an hour, to change that all over to building steam engines they'd have to retool, change everything, re-train everyone from the drafting dept to the people on the assembly line. Jay already said his car just about meets emissions standards, and that's in CALIFORNIA- a state with the most insane, crazy overbearing, stringent regulations in the country, like my old 1992 Honda CVCC's unique head design that exceeded even modern emissions tests- the Doble car could do the same, with little modification to weight and using a smaller plant as a result of that too, it would do fine.

[@effyleven]

What a delightful guy he is. He talks like he's you best friend from school. Greetings Jay, from the UK..

[@BuzzSargent]

OMG 1925. Imagine what could be done with a few computers to regulate and Tesla electric innovation on a machine like this. It could be a zero-emission vehicle. Thank you, Jay. This is the 1st time seeing this. Bless You!

[@sandervanderkammen9230]

Steam cars are horribly inefficient and produce huge carbon emissions

[@laohantun7404]

Thanks Jay...first time seeing real steam car in my life. 100 over years old and yet running. Good job.

[@stupitdog9686]

Gosh Lao ! I'm 68 an don't run anymore (unless an annoyed husband is shooting at me !!) You must be super fit still running at 100 !! ( Sorry - Just joking - your English is better than my any other language!) Wish I hadn't started this facile comment now. Feel stupid. I r such a stupit dog .... sorry.

[@PacificCircle1]

Steam cars would be much better with todays tech.

[@doktorbimmer]

PacificCircle1 nah... its obsolete for automobiles... it cannot compete with Otto and Diesel cycle

[@PacificCircle1]

The real doktorbimmer I never said steam would be practical nor competitive. A 2015 steam, or other type car, would exceed a 1906 car.

[@doktorbimmer]

PacificCircle1 Actually you just did.... " Steam cars would be much better with todays tech." I guess you forgot?

[@PacificCircle1]

The real doktorbimmer Obviously I was writing about steam cars only. I know what I meant, so I know you took me wrong. A steam car made today would be better than a 1906 steam car. Plain enough?

[@doktorbimmer]

PacificCircle1 Not really, by 1906 reciprocating steam engines were nearing the peak of practical efficiency... As I said before when dealing with steam power the scale, power output and efficiency are directly related and linked.. in the size and power range of a typical automobile there is not much room for improvement in fuel efficiency here. A perfect analogous example is steam locomotives... Dampflokomotiv- und Maschinenfabrik DLM AG of Switzerland builds modern replica steam locomotives for mountain tourist railways... they utilize some very high tech, ultra modern materials and technology... the main advantage though is in automation and labor savings (a one instead of 3 man crew) with very little gains in thermodynamic or fuel efficiency compared to the 100+ year old originals. They do not compete with modern Diesels in cost efficiency either but are produced solely for their nostalgic value.

[@geshbeddin]

i want to say how pleased i am that you are restoring and preserving these timeless treasures of antique cars and engines. i enjoy watching the videos you do as well. keep on doing them.

[@rosewood1]

Thanks Jay for bringing the Doble alive for us. We read about these vehicles but it's when their alive that you can really appreciate why some are just so brilliant. Thanks

[@lekoman]

600 feet is a sixty story building, not six. ;)

[@kalelofjorel]

lekoman if you only count the main risers and no branch lines. I’ve installed miles of pipe in a single story school before

[@nerdyorganist]

This is amazing

[@GooglFascists]

With our regular friends if they say "Hey come on out in the garage-I got something I want to show you" it would be a new table saw or riding mower. If it was Jay he'd have a Chrysler Turbine Car or 100-year-old steam tractor. Thanks for letting us in on the fun, Jay!

[@beckywhite2825]

My family loves to watch these videos together. Our family laughed out loud, sometimes so hard we couldn't keep reading, reading "If Roastbeef Could Fly". Jay Leno has brought so much joy to our family

[@PurpleNinja-vn4hv]

“we use furnace cement; we can’t really get asbestos anymore.”

[@redram5150]

Imagine calling up Vintage Air and trying to order an AC unit for this

[@michael7423]

Thank you Jay for all you do to preserve great automotive history!

[@sprngrdave]

Thank You Jay. Not only do You keep save & restore these Wonderful autos, you drive them & share them with us all.

[@pivkaaa]

I never realized this before, but you guys know the game Mafia - particularly Mafia 1 - the thing that lets down this game in my mind is the fact - all cars in that game were combustion engine based:) No electric, and worse, no steam cars:)

[@doktorbimmer]

just like real life.. the superior internal combustion engine dominates the automotive industry

[@Quicksilver_Cookie]

Well, considering how few of those were around - it's pretty realistic :D Living in that time you'd run a chance of never seeing a steam Doble with your own eyes.

[@doktorbimmer]

*Steam cars like the Doble would be a huge boost to petroleum sales... the Doble is horribly inefficient and polluting... designed to run on Diesel fuel #1 (kerosene) it guzzles fuel at the obscene rate of 8 MPG and produces well over 1,000 grams of **_CO2_** emissions PER MILE.*

[@doktorbimmer]

*The truth is, steam cars were only popular until Charles Kettering's invention of the electric starter for internal combustion cars in 1915... after that the steam car market collapsed virtually overnight because ICE cars are cheaper and more fuel efficient.*

[@trevoncowen9198]

@scott nyc u realize to run the burner at that temperature they need product that comes from oil

[@Complextro93kg]

Amazing machine for its time :)

[@georgezahorcak7764]

This damned pandemic. Jay, thanks for these excellent history lessons. A million years ago, I think Hemmings did a story on Doble. (Was pre-pandemic by a few months....just seems like a million years ago.) I finally watched this! This video is fascinating. I still don't comprehend the throttle and the foot pedal. There are many house confined followers who may never have seen this episode. It would be great to see a "Pandemic" version of this fantastic automobile! Make it about an hour and a half long. Thanks so much. Sincerely, George

[@stevengrotte2987]

Thank you for being a vehicle collector & sharing your collection with those of us not as talented as you.

[@jellyboy123]

what a grand motor car.

[@donmaguire]

Hi Jay, I am building a boiler similar to the Doble boiler to run my steam engine. So, how does Doble control water input when it is running?

[@stephencivic1989]

What a beautiful piece of history. Imagine this car is approaching 100 years of age. And we are no returning to these kind of alternative fuel automobiles. And the tech for these old cars are years ahead of their time. Thank you Mr. Leno for this great piece of history. You are an awesome guy, and don't let anyone tell you different.

[@doktorbimmer]

*The Doble was designed to run on heating/Diesel oil or gasoline. Steam cars are obsolete because they are inferior to internal combustion cars.*

[@GrowthCurveMarketing]

Without question, my favorite of all of Jay's great videos.

[@frglee]

You ask what I like about these vids : Three things. Quite simple and obvious really. Jay's enthusiasm and knowledge of vehicles,his relaxed,friendly and easygoing presentation skills - he makes you feel as if he is talking to you individually. And of course, his great world class collection of vehicles! I also like the way these vehicles are restored and in working condition. They are not cold and rotting in a museum hall.

[@Magnetorheological]

Holy cow, that engine's complicated. I Like It!! :)

[@jaguarracingus]

cheers to the mechs in the shop that keep these little marvels going in such good nick and to jay who has the enthusiasm and funding to allow it all to happen. i enjoyed this very much.

[@BIODIESEL1962]

Thank you Jay for your unending respect for the engineers who said I think there a better way to do this. I'm reminded of the story of my Uncle Bob. After passing his Pa. Driving test back in 1955, he and his brothers trolled Broad St.looking for an economical car. One dealer had his fathers Deusenberg. My dad asked is it for sale? Why yes young man it is $500.00 (It had 98 miles on it when the Market crashed, now it has102) It has a Straight 16 under an enormous hood. The dealer let them take it around the block (UNESCORTED!) A 16 year old driving a MONSTER! LOL! He ended up with a Dodge BLA,BLA,BLA V8 with twin points in it for some unknown reason. We saw it many years later in Las Vegas at one of the casinos. Still had less then 200 miles on it,as we were ushered away from under the velvet ropes by the casino guards. LOL!

[@fizzguts]

If it was a straight 16 it wasn't Deusenberg Straight 8s only

[@Sodnal]

Great video, Jay. I live steam engines!

[@TheMarkanthony5]

why cant we have modern steam cars using this technology imagine how cheap it would be to run

[@RaeganCP]

It would be a good idea. But of course they would change the design to something hideous.

[@Vakito227]

Well the problem is what would happen if you crash one of them with all that steam pressure inside. Steam cars are basically mobile bombs!

[@TheMarkanthony5]

i guess so but then so is a petrol car too if the fuel leaks with a few sparks,but i know what your saying,but now their trying to make compressed air cars so they would be same bang bang!! if it were to have a crash. Just depends if the boiler was to split or a fuel tanks on a petrol was to go same result me thinks or similar

[@mrapter7]

Greed. Oil was more quickly profitable, or was cheaper to invest in, so they took the money rout, leaving, literally world altering technology in the dust. For money.

[@TheMarkanthony5]

i recon your right luke

[@Papasmurf7597]

Jay, as an old gear head turned live steamer(Florida Live Steamer), I cannot say how much I appreciate this informative and interesting video. Thank you.

[@wassamattau860]

That was fantastic!!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and your history...these videos are GREAT!!!

[@eltonjohnsdildo1291]

1:07 *60 story building.

[@Voivrenetwork]

I doubt anyone from the show here will read this, but in the off chance you do, I'd like to ask for any information, specs, diagrams or contact information of anyone who can teach me more about this particular type of steam car as I am really interested in making something based on the Doble design.

[@doktorbimmer]

*The oil companies would be very pleased to see more of these horribly inefficient dinosaurs back on the road. The Doble E series was designed to run on Diesel fuel (D No.1/K1) and guzzles petroleum at the obscene rate of 8 MPG when fully warmed up and 6.6 MPG when cold started. The EPA tested the Doble boiler design in 1972 and test results showed that it produced a whopping 1,109 grams of **_CO2_** emissions per mile while a Toyota Prius averages just 98 grams per mile and as much as 60 MPG (55/58).*

[@worldtraveler930]

@@doktorbimmer I am going to have to call that statement a whopping great lode of Bullscat, the car is designed to burn kerosene and as Jay says it's almost a completely total burn of the fuel.

[@doktorbimmer]

@World Traveller *D1 /K1 aka Diesel fuel no.#1 is also known as kerosene or paraffin depending on where you live.* *Jay is a professional comedian and television host (very successfully at that) but he is not a professional engineer and his comments regarding emissions is unfortunately not completely accurate. The EPA tested this boiler design in 1970 and it failed to meet the up coming 1972 vehicle emissions standards for both NOx (Oxides of Nitrogen) and HCs (unburnt fuel emissions) both pollutants contribute to photo-chemical smog. This car has horrendous CO2 emissions per mile and terrible fuel mileage.*

[@EristiCat]

@@doktorbimmer I don't doubt what you say. Mobile steam engines are not very efficient. Shooting liquid fuel into a bucket and igniting it is going to produce a lot of pollutants. For it's day and intended use the Doble is an amazing feat of engineering but let's not kid ourselves... even at it's best it has tremendous shortcomings compared to an ICE powered car, particularly if you were to compare similarly priced cars.. the Doble was VERY expensive. Jay talks about this in the video he did about the other Doble in his collection. The only people who could afford these cars could afford to have a "man" to maintain and operate the car for them.

[@doktorbimmer]

@EristiCat *Good comments*

[@angelzr4235]

I just keep falling in love with these "steam engines." Spectacular stuff Jay!! Thanks for sharing!!

[@profpudwick]

Incredible. 1925 Doble! Thank you Jay for sharing this with us.

[@user-zx7tg4ph5r]

What about using water soluble cutting oil that is used in the machine shops as a lubricant? It should be a better solution than adding oil to the water system as you mentioned?

[@tompelley949]

Ballistol!!

[@doktorbimmer]

tom pelley Nein, Ballistol es ist nicht für Dampflok

[@scottyd8]

If we ever get a nuclear strike EMP. Jay Leno, will still be driving around in his Doable steam car.

[@manitoba-op4jx]

most vintage cars (before 1980) will be unaffected

[@kingsoutdoors4379]

Just found Your Channel Jay and Absolutely love Your Toys and Learning from Your Knowledge and Love of Machines. You Truly are a Blessed Man. Hopefully one Day all of what You have done will be saved for many more Generations to enjoy ... Thank You and God Bless You and Yours ,stay safe in these Scary unsure times ....big wave from York Pennsylvania....

[@Joshualbm]

I've really enjoyed watching all of these videos. Jay's depth of knowledge of his cars is amazing, I'd love to drive some of them, especially some of the early race cars with the enormous displacement like the Fiat Botofogo. 140mph stump pullers? Yes please.

[@animusfoxx6965]

I love steam cars, and this is just absolutely beautiful. I would love to won one. You mentioned the miles per gallon of water, which is nice, but since you're burning gasoline to heat it, I would be more interested in knowing how many miles to the gallon of gasoline you get? Would a steam car be a good investment in the current economy? How much would it cost to regularly maintain?

[@alexsmith5606]

there is a video on youtube about australian 1970's modern steam car. it acutally was pretty efficient

[@Vakito227]

I think I remember him saying you get around 15MPG with it. But hey, you can't out a price on fun.

[@animusfoxx6965]

Look at my long name I bet you love this long name as much as me Its as long as a ruler maybe longer​ 15mpg of water is much different from 15mpg of gasoline

[@herpnderpn2484]

Paul Driftmier External combustion is efficient when utilized correctly. Super heating helped immensely but it still relies on transfer of heat rather than expansion. Still, Its very good at that. From the air inlet size and the fact it basically has a early supercharger it would be safe to assume single digit fuel economy. Without knowing airflow or exhaust temps its impossible to know for sure the efficiency at which heat is made to steam. 3-8 mpg realistically. Keep in mind it weighs 6000 lbs. A truck that weighs that much gets about 10-15 nowadays and in the 80s and 90s got 5-10. Nothing we know of is quite like H2O. It expands 2500 times its size when boiled and is liquid at room temp. The majority of electricity on this planet is steam generated. Marginal amounts are made using internal combustion. Large scale its amazingly efficient.

[@doktorbimmer]

alex smith Actually it wasn't... it was an alternative fuel concept with some temporary advances in exhaust emissions, in terms of thermal fuel efficiency steam is really poor... less than half that of todays Otto and Diesel ICEs. Once the oil embargo ended, so did any interest in the Pretchard steam car.

[@laohantun7404]

its my fifth time watching.....so cool....

[@spacetrucker2952]

I can't get enough of these history lessons.

[@vermontjeff2535]

Jay thanks for all of the things you do on jay lenos garage. I’m really impressed on that car and how it works

[@Eiljahwood]

I would love to have one love steam I will keep dreaming

[@fidelcatsro6948]

wow all that steam engineering that went into this car and the gauges and the knowledge required to drive there..its more complicated than the conventional internal combustion engine!!! from the way you describe it seems that this car is more efficient and sophisticated than the 'modern' pollutive contraptions we are driving on the roads today..it makes me feel we are the ones living in the stone ages today

[@doktorbimmer]

+fidel catsro Well, you might get a false impression that was true... but the facts are the Internal Combustion Engines are far superior... steam is very inefficient and not economical or practical..

[@gentlerowdy]

+The real doktorbimmer Sir very respectfully hope that you spoke all could had been just so true !

[@doktorbimmer]

Rahul Atul Its absolutely true, steam cars are obsolete due to their very inefficient operation.. The Carnot heat engine cycle efficiency of steam can never match the internal combustion engines fuel efficiency.

[@doktorbimmer]

*Nicolas Carnot discovered ICEs were more efficient than steam in 1824.*

[@doktorbimmer]

*Then **_Why_** are there no steam car companies left???*

[@reynardusverschooredelahou1602]

Thanks for the high quality of your master classes! Agree fully with your comments on how your approach differs from other car shows where shouting and throwing wrenches at each other seems to be the "main attraction" ... Please keep it up!

[@louisboscarino2651]

Jay I love your shows. They are inspirational. Literally! Everything from objects that reflect the American dream, to engineering feats that both America and Europe overcame together and tried to out do. And not least but the love of Automobiles and any self propelled vehicles.

[@circeowaggles]

I WANT ONE

[@frankeggers4024]

To understand why a steam engine cannot be as efficient as an internal combustion engine, do a google search on "heat engine efficiency". The Wiki articles are especially good.

[@nick199009]

either a quasiturbine (no recompression, no loss of power through converting reciprocating motion to rotary motion and no loss of power from the reversal and loss of momentum inherent to reciprocating motion) or an opposed piston compound uniflow steam engine, add condensing or a bottoming cycle with a small engine powered by a lower boiling point liquid. either could approach ICE Efficiency.

[@frankeggers4024]

Perhaps a combined cycle power plant could also approach that efficiency. In them, the heat from exhaust of a gas turbine is used to generate steam for a steam turbine. At least one Lake Michigan car ferry has two compound uniflow steam engines but I think that they are a 1920s design. I rode it across the lake once. The drive machinery was inaudible and completely free of vibration unlike ships powered by Diesel engines.

[@badbeardbill9956]

Engine efficiency matters less when there are more components than just the engine involved. Transmissions, drivetrains, and even CV joints could all introduce losses in the system, reducing efficiency. Since steam needs no transmission, the playing field is more level than you think.

[@sandervanderkammen9230]

@@badbeardbill9956 Steam engines have terrible energy loss... just a tiny amout of the energy contained in the fuel makes it to the wheels.

[@badbeardbill9956]

@@sandervanderkammen9230 That depends on the specifics of the design - being technical, most cars have terrible energy loss as well. A good amount of electricity is generated using steam turbines, at incredible efficiencies. Now of course putting that into a car is a non-starter, but steam cars have existed in the past - the main issue is their startup time and their reaction time. Both of which are solvable. Of course changing the technology we use like this isn't practical, but it is possible.

[@judgetk8327]

Of all the cars and bikes you have, the Doble is my favorite car. Howard Hughes car being my best choice. It's wonderful to put this car collection together having them roadworthy and repairing them sometimes a little better than they were. So thank you for that cause am certainly aware of the cost to do so. You will always be one of the greatest guys out there long after you and I are gone. So as they say on Vulcan, live long and prosper.

[@robax]

Just so people commenting understand.. this isn't magical clean energy. The steam is not the source of the car's energy. It only serves to transer the energy from the source, which was typically kerosene, to the wheels. Fuel efficiency was said to be comparable to similar petrol cars of the day. Everything's out there on Google.

[@doktorbimmer]

robaxx Absolutely not, steam cars like this have less than half the thermal fuel efficiency of a modern Otto and Diesel engines.. steam cars are obsolete because of the terrible fuel efficency and high fuel consumption.

[@Dant2142]

The real doktorbimmer He said the fuel efficiency was similar to combustion engines /of the time/, not modern ones.

[@doktorbimmer]

Brett Bates His mistake not mine... Mr. Leno is a highly respected car collector and professonal intertainer... although he is not a professonal automotive engineer. ""Fuel efficiency was said to be comparable to similar petrol cars of the day"" Similar comparable cars in this class, circa mid to -late 1920s ( like Bugatti, Hispano-Suiza, Bently or Dusenberg) often were equiped with engines with as much as twice the rated horsepower of the Doble....

[@WheelsRCool]

The real doktorbimmer What about torque? I know the one steam car Jay has, he said it's a 2,000 or 3,000 lb car I think with 25 hop by like 1,000 lb-ft of torque!

[@WheelsRCool]

The real doktorbimmer Also the maintenance, complexity, and lengthy startup times.

[@animusfoxx6965]

Really would love to know the exact mileage on gasoline of this car. I don't think you really mentioned it in the video

[@doktorbimmer]

Paul Driftmier 10-12mpg on kerosene.. so even less than that on on gasoline.

[@badbeardbill9956]

Most cars back then had bad mileage anyways. That was probably good for the day. 12 for the Doble compared to 14 national average isn't bad at all.

[@ryanthompson3737]

I know this is an old post but my understanding of steam powered cars is that you can use just about any fuel for it as long as it can burn at the right temperature to keep everything running smoothly. I think Jay mentioned this in another video as well but the benefit of these steam cars is that it really can take any form of liquid fuel which also includes biofuel which is basically a renewable fuel.

[@doktorbimmer]

+Phoenix1138 *Steam engines are not the only technologies that offers multi-fuel capabilities... Both the Brayton Cycle engines (gas turbines) and the reciprocating ICEs Otto, Diesel, Akinson have multi-fuel capibilities... The Ford Model T was multi-fuel, it could be driven on kerosene, gasoline or methanol. Today's modern military Diesel engines can run on 5 or more different types of liquid fuels... the main advantage is that Diesel engines are 300% - 400% more fuel efficient than steam powered vehicles.*

[@ryanthompson3737]

Wow, I learned something new. I wonder why companies don't create vehicles that take many different types of fuels as the default instead of the exception.

[@RedSoxDad01]

Thank you for preserving this remarkable machine.

[@MichaelOZimmermannJCDECS]

What a marvelous piece of engineering and history. Jay, I love it!

[@Mazen4981]

It has so much torque that it doesnt even need any gears.....awesome

[@doktorbimmer]

*It still needs gears... you just don't need to shift gears.*

[@doktorbimmer]

*Too bad it still only had 150 horsepower... no amount of gears can improve horsepower.*

[@franknewling1139]

Doktor Dim Bulb, Horsepower doesn't move anything, torque does❗