1925 Doble E-20 Steam Car - Jay Leno's Garage
Why Hacker News recommends it
Cited in steam car threads as a well-produced view of how a Doble works and how it solved startup in 1925.
What it is
Jay Leno tours and drives a 1925 Doble E-20 steam car, once owned by Howard Hughes, covering how it starts up and runs. It includes a cutaway view of the engine.
Recommended by 2 HN commenters across 2 different months, 2015 to 2024.
What Hacker News said
Recommends FrustratedMonky · 2024-03 · on “Howard Hughes modified a 1925 Doble steam car to reach 133 MPH (2022)”
anybody have diagrams of this engine? Picture [LINK] This video opens the hood, and shows cross sections of engine. And is technical focus. [LINK] This Jay Leno video is actually good. Has cutaway of the engine to show the moving parts. [this video]
Recommends snaily · 2024-05 · on “Steam's Last Stand”
Jay Leno has a Doble car (mentioned in the article as a 1920s attempt at a "user-friendly" steam car revival). The video has great production and really shows the starting and driving processes: [this video]
Cites dalke · 2015-08 · on “Saving 25,000 Manuals”
1930s isn't exactly ancient history. By 1930, for example, we had commercial aviation, a long-distance phone network, and experimental television stations. Of course we also had vacuum cleaners, steam engines, automobiles, combines, and all sorts of other things that needed manuals. At [this video] you can hear mention of the manual that came with a 1925 steam car. ("In the handbook it says 'Things for your man to do every day.'") To be concrete, here's a copy of the instruction manual for a 51-P Crosley radio receiver from 1924: [LINK] . A "Manual of wireless telegraphy (radio) for the use of naval electricians" from 1915: [LINK] . And "A practical guide for the use of the Edison phonograph" fro
Cites archgoon · 2018-01 · on “Wood gas vehicles: firewood in the fuel tank”
Thanks; I had never heard of the Doble Steam cars until now. I found this video of Jay Leno driving one. [this video]
Cites somat · 2024-05 · on “Steam's Last Stand”
The stanly was a much earlier tech, perhaps the best car of it's generation. But compare that to the doble, perhaps the high point of steam car technology before that personal motive power route was abandoned. [this video] Now admittedly the doble was a high end luxury item, But you can see how it could be possible to have a every mans steam car.
Cites somat · 2024-06 · on “Steam's Last Stand”
Here is how they solved it in 1925. I feel with our many modern advancements we could do much better. [this video] That said, as neat as steam cars are, there is a reason internal combustion engines won. Probably because they are smaller, lighter and most importantly cheaper.