Grenville Steam Carriage: 134 years, on its own steam

Decades before the word 'petrolhead' was even conceivable, man's desire for moving around without having to spend an ounce of his own energy had already taken root. Of the many attempts made to create a true 'automobile', a vehicle that was capable of propelling itself along with its occupants without spending an ounce of bio-strength. Steam was the only option back then, and a spate of steam-powered cars came into being between 1860 and 1890.

One of these, designed in 1875 by a certain Robert Neville Grenville of Glastonbury, was Grenville Steam Carriage, which is now officially the oldest running self-propelled vehicle in the world. The carriage, or car - take your pick - was in news recently for finding itself a new home at Britain's National Motor Museum at Beaulieu.While the original vehicle had a single-cylinder engine mounted on to the steam boiler, it was soon upgraded to a twin-pot design which allowed it to zoom past horse carriages at a top whack of just under 32 km/h.

The carriage has had an eventful past, from ferrying passengers in and around Glastonbury in the 19th century, to participating in the post WWII London cavalcade, even having its wheels removed and harnessed in a cider mill!