This week in classic cars, we look at the Brooks steamer: likely the last automobile to gently chuff and hiss along Toronto streets, leaving nothing in its wake but a white vapour trail and the splash of water droplets.
The steamer in question.Ian Taylor
The history of steam cars in Canada stretches back to Henry Seth Taylor’s pioneering steam-powered carriage created in Quebec in 1867.Ian Taylor
The initial superheated enthusiasm for steam rapidly cooled as most inventors turned their minds to the potential of electricity and internal fires generated by gasoline.Ian Taylor
Due to tough Ontario regulations regarding steam-powered devices, the Brooks can no longer be brought to the boil.Ian Taylor