Did you know a 1952 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe in southern Brazil has been running on wood instead of petrol for almost 50 years? The story dates back to 1977, when Arnold Schmidt and his son, Elemer, converted the post‑war sedan to run on wood fuel – an experiment that has kept the sedan on the road ever since.
Six months later, the car was back in service, powered not by liquid fuel but by burning logs. The pair installed a gas generator in the boot, where firewood is heated to produce a combustible gas. That gas is then piped through hoses into the car’s original 3.6‑litre, 105‑horsepower engine – a setup that works much like a homemade LPG system, only fuelled using wood.
A full load of firewood provides enough energy for roughly 80 kilometres of driving, and the fuel costs almost nothing. Schmidt calculated that the savings compared with petrol were substantial, and the Chevy hasn’t visited a fuel station in more than 45 years. It’s even been certified by the Federal University of Santa Catarina and approved for road use.
After Arnold Schmidt’s death in 2021, his son continued driving the unusual car, keeping the machine alive. What began as a response to rising fuel costs is now a classic Chevy that runs on nothing but firewood and determination.
