Modified Vehicle

[tom63]

What is the modification running from the back to front and over the doors on this car?  Some sort of alternative fuel setup?  The picture was taken about 1943.

[patches]

I do believe it's burning Car, don't know how it worked though LOL.

[earlymb]

I think it's a set-up for a wood gas generator instead of normal fuel, see the sacks of firewood on the roof rack.

[tom63]

Read an interesting online article "Cars that Run on Trees".  Said that in 1944, at least fifty Tiger tanks were retrofitted with wood-gas units. I guess the use of wood for fuel was more wide spread that one might think!

[Proud Kraut]

The German term is "Holzvergaser". I have read somewhere that 3 kg of beechwood were needed to replace 1 liter of gasoline.

[12thengr]

Couple of wartime Volkswagen examples. Sorry for the poor photo. Taken from 'The Beetle', Keith Seume, author.

[mikie]

It’s been many years since I read it, but wood burning cars are mentioned in the book Is Paris Burning? I thought it was an interesting concept. 

[earlymb]

It already was a somewhat normal modification before the war, so not a wartime invention