Jmagerl wrote:

> ceed wrote:

> > I don't know the details, but I know it was not steam. The cars were
> > modified to run on this fuel, and you had to start the burning of
> > knott in good time before you planned on driving. The gas was
> > filtered and cooled before it entered the engine working quite
> > similar to evaporated gasoline.

> My Dad would talk fondly of his time in CHna during WWII. One the things he
> mentioned was smoke powered cars. In this case the smoke was derived from
> burning cow dung. I imagine the principle is the same. Smoking wood (or
> dung) emits flammable vapors that can be sucked into a carburetor and
> burned. He also mentioned, you had to get out and push them up hills. He
> even had a picture of one. Looked like a big moonshine still in the back of
> a pick up truck. Couldn't carry much in the truck because the still took up
> most of the truck bed.

The fuel generated by burning wood (or biomass in general) is
methanol, also known as "wood alcohol." Quite appropriate that the
vehicles resembled moonshine stills.