Video: Steam-powered Salvesen Steam Wagonette in action at Festival of Speed

This year’s theme ‘Horseless to Hybrid: Revolutions in Power’ told the fascinating story of propulsion from the earliest days of coal-fired steam power to the present day of complex electrified powertrains. As part of that, we got to see some absolutely brilliant automotive artefacts from the past 130-odd years, including this Salvesen Steam Wagonette.

It's an early ‘car’ – if you can call it that – that requires at least two people to drive it, one to manage the coal and one to steer. Seen here running on Ecoal, this Hill run bridged the gap between past and present. It provided a wonderful look back at life as it was in the late 1800s during the very earliest stages of car development while also celebrating the future of sustainable power.

The fact this car is still running today is great testament to the people who have maintained it over the years, it looks very much as it would have done when it was new, and can reach a top speed of around 19mph. People must have had an awful lot of patience back in 1893.

But what a joy it is to see something like this at Festival of Speed, we loved seeing it in action as Goodwood once again brought together a collection of cars and bikes that you simply wouldn’t see anywhere else.