The vets vintage car blog

Ferdinand Verbiest's steam car, vintage 1672. Ferdinand Verbiest's Steam Carriage of 1672 holds the title as the world's first motorized vehicle, albeit steam-powered. Verbiest constructed this marvel for the Kangxi Emperor in China, showcasing early automotive ingenuity. Ironically, Verbiest hailed from Flanders, Belgium, which historically formed part of the ancient Frankish realm, known as the West Frankish Kingdom. Amedee Bolee, a French clockmaker, is credited with crafting one of the earliest motorized vehicles capable of carrying multiple passengers. Meanwhile, Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot engineered the Fardier à Vapeur , recognized as the first documented automobile, also powered by steam. Verbiest's creation, on the other hand, wasn't designed for practical driving and could be considered more of a toy or prototype. Joseph Cugnot , for the record, also resided in Belgium for much of his retirement years, between 1789 and 1800, which, considering the lifespan ...

Don't let your car end up in the scrapyard because of tough times. As most folks know by now, things have gotten real expensive after the pandemic, with the ongoing climate crisis that the UN and nations worldwide are tryin' to tackle, not to mention the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East , and the crazy inflation that's now inevitable. Here in Norway, we're actually kinda lucky, with inflation at 6-7 percent , which is less than half of what we saw in the late '80s and early '90s when interest rates were around 14 percent, or maybe even higher. But let me tell ya, compared to Argentina, where they're dealin' with a whopping 160% inflation rate , we're still sittin' pretty. With all this in mind, it ain't sustainable or economical to keep rollin' around in gas guzzlers like the ones I've been talkin' about. Gas and diesel prices, especially gas prices, are sky-high. Electric cars might actually be cheaper to run, even with the...