The Ross was a

brass era The Brass Era is an American term for the early period of automotive manufacturing, named for the prominent brass fittings used during this time for such things as lights and radiators. It is generally considered to encompass 1896 through 1915 ...

steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. ...

automobile built in

Newtonville, Massachusetts Newtonville is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Geography Newtonville is a predominantly residential neighborhood. It is divided into two parts by the Massachusetts Tu ...

from 1906 to 1909.

Louis Ross

Company founder Louis S. Ross (1877–1927) gained national fame in the early 1900s while an employee of

Stanley Motor Carriage Company The Stanley Motor Carriage Company was an American manufacturer of steam cars; it operated from 1902 to 1924. The cars made by the company were colloquially called Stanley Steamers, although several different models were produced. Early histor ...

racing his own-design and own-built Boiler Vroom, ''Motorsport'' magazine, April 2006, page 70

Stanley Steamer The Stanley Motor Carriage Company was an American manufacturer of steam cars; it operated from 1902 to 1924. The cars made by the company were colloquially called Stanley Steamers, although several different models were produced. Early history ...

-powered "Wogglebug" race car at Ormond-Daytona Beach. Ross's "Wogglebug" was powered by two steam engines. It is said the two engines independently powered a rear wheel and they had separate speed controls. Difficult to control it would go down the course moving from side to side. Nevertheless at Daytona matched against W K Vanderbilt's new 90 hp Mercedes and a 90 hp Napier, Ross's "Wogglebug" won "the one-mile championship of the world" and the

Dewar Trophy The Dewar Trophy was a cup donated in the early years of the twentieth century by Sir Thomas R. Dewar, M.P. a member of parliament of the United Kingdom (UK), to be awarded each year by the Royal Automobile Club (R. A .C.) of the United Kingdom "t ...

. He was one of the first American drivers to complete a mile course in under one minute. In 1906 he gave up racing to turn his attention full-time to automobile manufacturing. Ross closed his steam car business in 1911 and focused on the manufacture of torpedo signals used by railroads. On June 10, 1927 he was killed in an explosion while testing a new torpedo of his own design.

Ross Steamer

The company produced a 25 hp two-cylinder, shaft-driven model that was the first steam-powered car to have the

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central h ...

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gene ...

, and tanks all up front under the hood. The five-passenger

touring car Touring car and tourer are both terms for open cars (i.e. cars without a fixed roof). "Touring car" is a style of open car built in the United States which seats four or more people. The style was popular from the early 1900s to the 1930s. Th ...

weighed 2800 pounds and cost $2800.

References

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Louis Ross

Ross Steamer

References

See also