Brazilian 1952 Chevy Runs on Firewood for Nearly 50 Years

A post-war 1952 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe has been running on nothing but firewood for almost half a century, a backyard conversion that started as a response to rising fuel costs and evolved into a certified, road-legal curiosity. Arnold Schmidt and his son Elemer fitted the sedan in 1977 with a gas generator in the trunk that heats firewood to produce a combustible gas. That gas is piped into the car’s original 3.6-litre, 105-horsepower engine, and a full load of wood yields roughly 80 kilometres of driving.

The conversion returned to service six months after installation and has kept the Chevy off petrol pumps ever since. The family estimated substantial savings versus petrol, and the vehicle has been driven continuously by the Schmidts for more than 45 years. The setup was later certified by the Federal University of Santa Catarina and approved for road use, lending engineering credibility to what began as a domestic experiment. After Arnold’s death in 2021, Elemer continued to maintain and drive the car.

For the woodturning community this machine is more than a novelty; it is a showcase of wood as a practical energy source and an example of durable workmanship. Key takeaways for turners involve material preparation and handling. Fuel performance hinges on moisture content, consistent sizing, and stacking for airflow, so seasoned, well-split wood will burn more predictably than green, uncut rounds. For demonstrations or local show-and-tell, bring examples of split rounds and finished blanks to illustrate how wood behaves both in the lathe and in combustion.

Safety and regulatory compliance are central. The Schmidt car’s university certification highlights that gasification systems require engineering checks and emissions consideration before being driven on public roads. If you plan any project that repurposes wood for energy, secure expert consultation and local approvals rather than improvising in a backyard. Emissions, exhaust routing, and safe containment of hot components are technical issues that overlap with workshop safety practices: heat shielding, secure mounts, and routine inspections.

This story also underscores community opportunities. Clubs can stage talks about traditional wood uses beyond turning, trade tips on drying and stacking fuelwood, or invite engineers to explain small-scale gasification. There is a preservation angle too: keeping a vintage Chevy running on wood required decades of maintenance and parts stewardship, an ethic familiar to anyone who restores old lathes or tools.

The Brazilian Chevy turns more than logs; it turns assumptions about what wood can do in everyday life. Expect curiosity at local meets and use this example to spark safer, better-informed conversations about fuel, sourcing, and the many ways wood keeps communities moving.