“Old Fire”

The Tattarletti family in Italy founded two famous model car companies, Rio and Brumm.  One of the range of models that Brumm produced was their “Old Fire” series which illustrates some of the earliest steam-powered vehicles that were conceived from the 17th century onwards.  There were eight excellent models in this series.

1680 Sir Isaac Newton worked on the concept of a vehicle powered by steam. This may not have been built.
1681 Belgian Ferdinand Verbiest designed a model of a steam-powered vehicle for the Emperor of China.
1769 This steam-powered artillery tractor was built in Paris by Nicholas Joseph Cugnot. The original is in Le Musee des Arts et Metier, Paris.
1801 American inventor Oliver Evans built this amphibious steam-powered dredger in Philadephia.
1803 The London Steam Carriage was built by inventor and mining engineer Richard Trevithick. Photo shows a replica at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
1825 Sir Goldsworthy Gurney built this steam carriage which could reach speeds of 20mph.
1828 This steam-powered vehicle was built by French engineer Onesiphore Pecqueur.
1854 Captain Virginio Bordino of Turin built this steam-powered carriage which is now in the collection of Museo Nazionale Dell' Automobile Torino.