The original article appeared in Popular Science Monthly in July 1933.
WORLD'S FIRST Steam-Driven Airplane | Modern Mechanix
The Doble brothers were exceptionally clever inventors, designer and manufacturers, and a very large % of the last of the Doble Steam Cars have survived, due to their superb construction, from high-quality materials.
The Doble Car company didn't fail because of the vehicles design - it failed because it was too highly-priced, and because of the Great Depression, and because Abner Doble was a better engineer, than a finance and management man.
I have little doubt that if modern technology and current high-tech materials and engineering were applied to the 1930's steam-engine designs of the Dobles and the Beslers, it would definitely offer a viable alternative to IC engines today.
The Last Great Steam Car; Damn Interesting
I also found rather interesting, in the Popular Science article, the reference to the steam aircraft of Sir Hiram Maxims (he of the Machine Gun fame), that effectively took to the air in 1894 - even though it wasn't supposed to!
This makes Sir Hiram, the true claimant to the title of the first man to fly a powered, heavier-than-air machine, beating the Wright Bros by 9 years.
The Pioneers : An Anthology : Sir Hiram Maxim (1840 - 1916)
Sir Hiram Maxims Captive Flying Machines