AutoCult releases for September/October

1/43 #11021-1 Skoda Sentinel, gray (CZ, 1924)

1/43 #11021-2 Skoda Sentinel, green (CZ, 1924)

Engines powered by steam are, by definition, known as steam engines and are found today primarily in museums—as relics of an old, stationary method of energy generation. The era in which this form of energy production was considered effective and modern has been over for several decades worldwide. However, from the 1900s through the late 1920s, a steam-powered engine was a serious alternative for powering commercial vehicles.

The biggest advocate of the steam-powered engine was the British company “Sentinel Steam Waggon,” whose origins dated back to 1875. Since 1906, they had included the name “Sentinel” in their company name. The company became so famous for its steam propulsion that, in the years that followed, virtually every steam engine in vehicles was associated with this company, and it even led to cars equipped with this propulsion system being simply equated with the word “Sentinel”!

When, after World War I, the Škoda arms manufacturer sought a new direction, the plant took over licensed production of steam engines from Sentinel Waggon Works Ltd. starting in 1924. Demand for steam-powered vehicles in the transport industry had likely already peaked by this point, yet production was presumably so profitable that the company continued it until 1935—though the more than ten-year duration could well have been due to the long term of the license. It is not known exactly how many of these massive steam trucks bearing the Škoda logo were actually produced, but it is unlikely that there were many.

1/43 #01025-1 Mercedes-Benz 38/70PS Kettenwagen Landaulet "Kaiser Wilhelm“ (D, 1911)

1/43 #01025-2 Mercedes-Benz 38/70PS Kettenwagen Landaulet "Kaiser Wilhelm“ (D, 1911) 

It was said that Germany’s Emperor Wilhelm II embraced and promoted the automobile early on, a fact attributed to his own fleet of vehicles, for which he had the first car procured as early as 1903.

It is said to have happened on more than one occasion that His Majesty simply ignored a carriage that had been provided for him and instead had himself driven in a motorized vehicle.

Shortly before the outbreak of World War I, the prevailing view was that no other head of state devoted himself as intensely and extensively to the automobile as the German Emperor—in 1913, he was described in the press as “the Supreme Protector of the German Motor Industry.” Further praise for the state’s highest representative can be found in the assertion that he “…protected the German automotive industry in critical times from the danger of being suppressed by overly strict legislation…”. These words also pleased the gentlemen on the board of the ‘Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft,’ for the factory, with its Mercedes models, belonged to the illustrious circle that was included in the Emperor’s fleet. With the Type 38/70 PS, the Swabian factory had a model in its portfolio that was a favorite among nobles, monarchs, and princes. This Mercedes was also selected for Wilhelm II’s fleet. The imperial car carried two spare tires on the roof, which was both advisable and common at the time due to the poor condition of the roads. It was also mandatory in high-end automotive circles that the passenger compartment could be converted into an open-top version using a fabric convertible top.