Car History. 02 The Birth of a Steam Car

James Watt of England met J. Roebuck, the founder of the Carron Works, and became his business partner in 1768. With a loan from Joseph Black, he built a small test engine. In 1769, he obtained the famous patent for “a new method of reducing steam and fuel consumption in fire engines.”

After Roebuck went bankrupt in 1772, Watt continued his efforts with the support of Matthew Boulton (1728–1809), a manufacturer who ran the Soho Works in Birmingham. In 1774, they founded the Boulton & Watt Company and began producing Watt-type steam engines.

In 1775, Watt and Boulton began a business partnership that lasted for the next 25 years. Thanks to Boulton’s financial support, progress on the engine accelerated rapidly. In 1776, two engines were installed—one for pumping water in the Staffordshire coal mine, and another for air-blowing at the ironworks of the famous J. Wilkinson.

Watt’s steam engine was smaller than Newcomen’s steam engine, yet it consumed only about one-third of the coal while producing much greater power.

For this reason, coal mine owners rushed to adopt Watt’s engine.

Mine owners who had been using Newcomen’s steam engine used to complain:

“With the steam engine, I thought I would no longer need oxen and horses to carry groundwater out of the mine, but now I must use them to haul coal for the engine’s fuel.”

In 1781, foreseeing new markets in corn, malt, and cotton mills, Boulton encouraged Watt to devise a rotary motion to replace the reciprocating motion of existing steam engines.

In that same year, Watt solved the problem by inventing the so-called “epicyclic gear” (planetary gear), in which the shaft rotated twice in each engine cycle. Thus, in 1782, Watt patented the double-acting engine, in which the piston could push and pull simultaneously. This design required a new method to firmly connect the movable beam to the piston. In 1784, Watt solved this issue with the invention of the parallel motion (a linkage that guided the piston rod vertically).

He described it as:

“The most ingenious and simple piece of work I have ever invented.”

Four years later, following Boulton’s suggestion, Watt completed the practical form of his steam engine by incorporating the centrifugal governor for automatic speed control and the pressure gauge he invented in 1790.

James Watt’s Epicyclic Gear (planetary gear)

Thus, Watt’s steam engine successfully converted reciprocating motion into rotary motion, completing the double-acting piston engine with a crank that generated rotational force. Watt also invented a steam engine with a separate condenser outside the cylinder, which extracted spent steam and condensed it externally, improving thermal efficiency fourfold (though still, only about 4% of the generated heat could be converted into power). By supplying steam alternately to both sides of the piston, he ensured a steady and powerful power stroke.

Through these innovations, Watt extended the use of the steam engine beyond pumping water from coal mines to paper mills, flour mills, textile factories, ironworks, distilleries, canals, water supply facilities, and steam locomotives.

He made a great contribution to the Industrial Revolution and laid the foundation for the modern engine.

Steam Locomotive (Perhaps steam cars of the 1820s produced smoke like this.)

In the early 1800s, when cars could not yet be called “cars,” and buses could not yet be called “buses,” steam locomotives and automobiles spread across the world. This development was especially active in Britain, where Watt had invented the steam engine. Inventors used Watt’s steam engine to build buses and began passenger transport businesses. Naturally, since buses had to carry more passengers, the chassis and boiler had to be enlarged.

William Henry James, 1824

La London and Bath de Gurney, 1826

By 1866, steam cars were becoming smaller as technology advanced.

Latest steam car of 1868

De Dion Steam Quadricycle, 1887

(The man in the back had to constantly feed fuel into the boiler.)

De Dion Steam Car, 1890s

Steam train at the time steam engines were first built. (It is said trains of that era had no brakes.)

Around 1820, on a street in England, a steam bus built by a nobleman named Gordon was in operation. The driver rang a bell attached to the front of the bus to signal pedestrians that a steam vehicle was passing. About ten passengers were on board, while thick black coal smoke poured from the chimney of the steam engine at the back.

One male passenger looked out at the slowly passing scenery and said:

“Well, the world has truly improved. Now carriages can move without horses. Soon, there will be carriages that fly.”

Another man sitting in front of him laughed and agreed:

“Haha, indeed. I heard rumors about this horseless carriage and came a long way just to ride it.”

The passengers marveled at the massive iron carriage moving without horses, while peacefully gazing at the surroundings.

After some time, the bus encountered a small hill. The driver tried to accelerate, hoping the nearly 8-ton vehicle could climb it in one go, but the steam car stalled midway, unable to move further due to its weight. Fortunately, it did not roll backward, but it could neither advance nor retreat.

With an awkward expression, the driver politely addressed the passengers:

“I am very sorry. Normally, this hill could be climbed easily, but today the engine seems weak. Gentlemen, may I ask you to help push from the back and sides?”

Without hesitation, the male passengers disembarked and began pushing the vehicle.

Thick black smoke from the chimney soon covered their faces and clothes in soot. Those experiencing a steam car for the first time began to complain.

Seeing this, the driver, looking apologetic, said:

“Ladies and gentlemen, you are fortunate. My friend owns a steam carriage that weighs nearly 20 tons, and at every hill, passengers must push with all their strength. Compared to that, this vehicle is light, so your effort is not as hard.”

Hearing this, the passengers realized their situation could have been worse. They pushed harder, and eventually, the bus made it over the hill.

Exhausted, the men collapsed onto rocks and grass to rest.

By the early 1800s, trains had no brakes. To stop a massive train, the operator had to shut off the steam engine when the station came into view and rely on inertia to bring it to a halt—essentially a matter of luck. Sometimes the train stopped short of the station; other times, it overshot. Passengers often jumped off when the train passed their stop. Cugnot’s steam vehicle was extremely heavy, hard to steer, and lacked brakes, which led to its accident.

By about 1820, fifty years later, a primitive brake had been introduced—the so-called block brake (also known as the shoe brake). When the driver pulled a lever, a brick-shaped shoe pressed against the iron tire on the wooden wheel rim, slowing the vehicle. Since steam cars at the time had engines directly connected to the drive axle, even this primitive brake was somewhat effective. But given their weight—nearly 10 tons—the stopping distance was still long. The steam bus that passengers had pushed up the hill also had such brakes.

At the hilltop, the driver applied the brake to pick up passengers, but the heavy vehicle continued rolling forward slowly. It soon began sliding downhill. 

The passengers turned pale, chasing the bus and shouting:

“Hey! Stop! Where are you going? Stop the carriage!”

Panicked, the driver cried out:

“Quick, get on! Even with the brake, the weight is too much—it won’t stop! Hurry, climb aboard!”

He reached out, pulling passengers up one by one until all were safely back inside. The steam bus continued toward its destination.

Hearing of this, Gordon realized:

“A device is needed to support the carriage when climbing hills, and an auxiliary tool to stop it.”

One day, Gordon was traveling to meet a friend, riding a “Hobby Horse,” which, though not widely used, was quite popular in England at the time. This “Hobby Horse” was an improved version of the German “Draisine,” considered the precursor to the modern bicycle.  Its shape resembled today’s bicycle, but it had no pedals or chain. The rider sat on a saddle, held a fixed handle, and pushed against the ground with his feet to move forward.

Hobby Horse – Quite popular in England at the time.

As Gordon pushed along, the wind refreshed him, and he enjoyed the ride. Suddenly, a small child ran out from an alley. Startled, Gordon instinctively planted his feet on the ground and came to an abrupt stop. 

He was angry and about to scold the child, but suddenly paused. The frightened child ran away, but Gordon stood motionless, lost in thought. 

“What if this way of stopping—with legs—could be applied to carriages? What if a carriage had legs?”

Immediately, Gordon turned his Hobby Horse around, hurried home, and began designing. Thus was born the “Propelling Legs Bus.”

In 1825, a strange steam vehicle shocked onlookers as it sped at 24 km/h.

Built by Gordon, it ran with 4–6 iron legs, resembling a giant spider. Though bizarre in appearance, it was a groundbreaking idea at the time. Even on steep hills, passengers no longer needed to disembark and push. When ascending, the wheels rolled while the iron legs struck the ground to help climb—like a huge spider crawling uphill. When stopping, the iron legs stamped into the ground to hold the vehicle.

However, these legs soon disappeared. Because they tore up nearly every road in London, the police cracked down, and the idea was abandoned.

Propelling Legs Bus

Truly a massive steam bus with stamping legs. (David Gordon, 1824)