One of the vehicles at the North Whidbey Lions Club Car Show Saturday arrived under a full head of steam – literally.

Pat Farrell, a Sedro-Woolley resident and 1963 graduate of Oak Harbor High School, drove his vintage 1916 Stanley Steamer onto the car show grounds at Windjammer Park, thanks to the vehicle’s steam powered engine.

“You’ll never see another one of these in your life,” Farrell said of his 12-passenger, Model 826 Stanley Steamer, built in 1916 in Newton, Mass.

Although steam powered, the Steamer is not an answer to high energy prices. Farrell uses kerosene to heat the 50-gallon water tank to the boiling point, and he only gets about eight miles per gallon of kerosene. With a 40-gallon fuel tank, his range is just over 300 miles. He said he could save money by using recycled oil to heat the water.

“It runs on hot water,” he said. “Boil it up to steam and away it goes.” The only real problem he has found is, “It takes 40 acres to turn the thing around.”

Stanley Steamers haven’t been built for decades, but they were once a common sight. Farrell said the Model 826 was popular as a people mover in resort areas. Sol Duc Hot Springs on the Olympic Peninsula had six in its heyday, he said.

Farrell purchased his Stanley Steamer in Los Angeles in 1998. “I only got the running gear and fenders,” he said. “It’s been a total restoration, with a hand-built body.” He’s still looking for a windshield, but other than that it’s fit for the road.

The love and care Farrell put into his vehicle was evident everywhere Saturday, as 245 vehicles were entered in the popular car show. Doug Tyler, car show chairman for the North Whidbey Lions, said it was one of the largest turnouts in the show’s 20-year history.

Warm weather and blue skies attracted a huge crowd to the day-long event. Radio station KWDB kept classic rock songs blaring and Coupe’s Last Stand sold hotdogs as fast as they could be grilled.“There were thousands of people,” estimated Tyler. The high number of car entries boosted the Lions Club coffers as well. “This is our major fundraise of the year,” Tyler said. Proceeds help the Lions with their efforts to help the visually impaired and other community projects.

Old cars, new cars, stock cars and jazzed up cars were all on hand, certain to appeal to all kinds of people. Two sisters, Rachel and Hannah Anderson, found their dream car in Steve Young’s 2005 Diva Roadster. “This is our favorite,” exclaimed Rachel. The two teenagers from Colorado were in town visiting their grandfather, Jack Anderson.

Jan and Arden Nelson of Freeland drove their pride-and-joy up to Oak Harbor the day. They found their 1967 Mercury Comet Cyclone GT by answering an ad in a car magazine three years ago. It had literally been stored in a barn. Ford Motor Company told them only 378 of the vehicles were produced, and there aren’t many left.

“We can’t find another one,” Jan Nelson said, gazing at her bright blue entry. The car has just over 50,000 miles on it and looks like it recently drove off the showroom flow. But they’re not babying the vehicle. “We use it,” she said. “Let’s go to Dairy Queen!”

The car brings the car back to the days of their youth. “We had one when we first got married,” Jan said.

Bringing back memories – along with impressing strangers – is what the show’s all about.