JAY LENO: The Collector

'THERE ARE NO SPARE PARTS, YOU MAKE THEM YOURSELF. WE DID THIS A COUPLE OF TIMES BEFORE WE GOT IT RIGHT'

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If you’ve never heard of Abner Doble you’re not alone. Certain names stand out among great engineers of the last century: Marc Birkigt, Ettore Bugatti, Ferdinand Porsche, WO Bentley, to name a few. Born in the last decade of the 1800s to a wealthy, mechanically minded family, Doble grew up in the age of steam and was determined to make a better steam-powered car, but by the time he’d finished his masterpiece the world had moved on.

In the early days the steam car had an advantage over internal combustion. First of all, it was a known commodity – steam had powered everything from ships to factories. It was also easier to deal with than a gas car. With a steam car you went out to the barn, lit the pilot, waited for the vaporiser to get hot and heat up the boiler and you were ready to go. Really no different than heating the kettle on the stove.

Don’t forget, with early gas cars there was no self-starter; you had to set the choke, retard the timing, adjust the carburettor, then violently swing that starter handle, which could kick back and easily break your arm. Also, the noise of the internal combustion engine would frighten the horses and raise the ire of neighbours, not to mention magistrates.