White Steam car

1903 White steam car, registered MS 290, pictured at Morrison’s of Stirling. This car is on display at the Motoring Heritage Museum at the Lomond Galleries in the old Argyll Works in Alexandria near Dumbarton. It was located at Mercat Garage in Stirling for many years before being acquired by the museum. 1903 model “C” White Steam car, chassis number 640. It had a series of owners around Stirling and its registration number is one of the earliest issued in the Stirling area. In 1906 the White Sewing Machine Company of Cleveland, Ohio was renamed the White Co.. Steam cars were manufactured from 1901 to 1911. Whites typically had a 2-cylinder compound steam engine with vertically mounted cylinders, a two-bearing crankcase and shaft drive. A clutch wasn’t necessary. Steam was generated by paraffin firing a semi-flash boiler situated under the seats in the middle of the car. Power output would have been around 15 bhp. with later models capable of up to 50 mph.. Steam cars were virtually silent in operation and performed well, but the public were too impatient with the morning ritual of lighting the burner and waiting until steam was raised, preferring to crank a petrol engine instead, which also usually started readily. This and no other reason killed of the steam car from general use. A plaque on the dash displays – .V.C.C. 1903 White Steamer.