Stanley
Born: 1898 Nationality: American
Francis E and Freeland O Stanley, known as FE and FO, were identical twins from Kingfield, Maine, whose inventive genius had already made them rich from the development of the airbrush and a photographic plate process which they sold to George Eastman, founder of what was to become the Kodak imaging empire.
After seeing an imported petrol-powered car from Europe, they decided to build their own, chosing a steam engine system over the Benz internal combustion engine which was noisy, smelly and relatively unreliable.
The Stanley car also used petrol, but in an "external" way to heat the boiler. Because steam engines are high-torque from virtually a single revolution and had very few moving parts, they were in fact very suited to the propulsion of "horseless carriages". The downside was a 20-minute pre-heating requirement.
The Stanleys' vehicle, originally built just for themselves, became much in demand. Within a year, they had sold their embryo business to John B Walker, who built the new steam cars under his own Locomobile brand. In 1901, the Stanleys got back into the business, setting up a manufacturing facility in Newton, Massachusetts. From then on, the Stanley Steamer was an integral part of early years motoring.
Not needing money much, the brothers refused to follow the mass-production systems being inaugurated by newcomers such as Henry Ford. Their cars remained expensive, and relatively rare, but were well considered by those who could afford them.
The Stanleys made some improvements to their engine, including using kerosene rather than petrol for firing their boiler. They also added a condensing system that allowed the cars to travel much further without requiring a refill of water.
The brothers were very keen on speed, and their cars were among the fastest of their day. They were also particularly good performers in the hill-climb craze of the time.
In 1906 a Steamer with the nickname the "Flying Teapot" set up four world speed records, piloted by the company's service manager Fred Marriott. The record of 127-plus mph wasn't beaten by another steam-powered car until 1986. In an attempt in 1907 by Marriott to beat his own record, the car became airborne and disintegrated after reaching an estimated 155mph. Marriott miraculously survived.
FO, ill with a recurrence of TB, moved to Colorado for his health. In 1909 he had his company develop a special bus/truck called the Stanley Mountain Wagon which became very popular in the mountainous parts of the west coast. At a time when the internal combustion engine was leaving their steam cars behind in the marketplace, this segment became a mainstay business. In 1916, the brothers sold their interest in the Stanley Steamer company to a group of investors.
In 1918, FE was mortally injured in a car crash. His brother lived to the ripe old age of 92, despite ill health. The Stanley Steamer survived for a surprisingly long time into the reign of the internal combustion engine, the last one rolling off the production line at Newton in 1924. Some 16,000 had been produced.
BEST CAR: Possibly the 1918 Model 735B
WORST CAR: Not recorded
WEIRDEST CAR: They all looked quite contemporary, no more weird than any other car of the time.