A car insurance quote for the giant kettle on wheels
If you're looking for a really good deal on your car insurance quote it pays to have the right type of car. Now, a car that runs on water sounds like a good idea: low emissions, environmentally friendly, cheap to run, etc. But what about a steam powered car that hopes to break the world record and travel at over 146mph; what do you think the renewal premium would be on that?
Yes, the British Steam Car Challenge (BSCC) team landed in the Mojave Desert at the Edwards Air Force Base on 29th June and promptly set up Base Camp for the record breaking attempts in temperatures of over 100 degrees.
The steam car, named Inspiration, which looks a bit like something from the Wacky Races, measures just over seven and a half metres long and weighs in at three tons. It has a two stage turbine engine, with the turbines capable of a maximum 13,000rpm.
The rear wheel drive vehicle has a whopping 360 horsepower and the engineers behind it reckon it is capable of a record breaking 170mph.
Even though it is technically a 'steam powered' car, it is fuelled by liquid petroleum gas which creates 3 Megawatts of heat from the 12 on-board boilers. These boilers heat the equivalent of 15,000 kettles of water - or 23 cups of tea per second.
The temperature of the steam gets to 400 degrees centigrade and flows at 40 litres per minute. It uses 1,000 litres (one ton) of water every 25 minutes.
Ok, so perhaps this particular car isn't one that your friendly neighbourhood insurance broker will want to give you a quote for, but as a feat of engineering it is a stunner.
The current steam powered land speed record (SLSR) stands at 145.607mph and was set by Bob Barber in 1985. And although it is not recognised by the FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile - the governing body for world motor sport) the BSCC team acknowledge that this is the record to beat.
For all the details on testing progress and news of the imminent record attempts go to the BSCC website and for a really cheap car insurance quote for an environmentally friendly, cheap-to-run motor - get something like a Smart ForTwo CDi. Low fuel emissions, low car insurance group and a doddle to find a parking space for - unlike Inspiration .