Locomobile Stanhope Style I, 1899 Stanhope Style I | Conceptcarz.com - Pictures, Pricing, Information, Wallpaper, History

Interior Photos Engine Photos

The first prototype gasoline-powered Locomobile was completed at the company's factory in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Francis and Freelan Stanley created the original steam-powered Locomobile in 1898. 'Yankee tinkerers,' the Stanley brothers had been working on designs for steam-powered carriages for many years. Success came when one of their cars appeared at a Boston fair in October 1908. Interest in their cars, stemming from the debut of their lightweight, affordable vehicle, led them to undertake the construction of one hundred cars. To put the brothers' ambition in perspective, one need only recognize that the largest American gasoline-powered auto producer in the country, Alexander Winton, made twenty-two cars in 1898; Pope Electric of Hartford, Connecticut, produced a few dozen. The Stanley Brothers' resolve to 'mass-produce' inexpensive cars marked an important transition in automobile manufacturing.

But only a few months into their venture, the Stanley Brothers sold their enterprise to Amzi Barber, America's sheet-asphalt tycoon. It was under Barber's direction that the Locomobile name became a brand. The 1899 Locomobile sold for $600 and, as its advertisements boasted, it was noiseless and odorless. Refreshing to think of, but the Locomobile's water tank held only twenty-one gallons, enough for just a twenty-mile journey. Besides, starting a steam-powered engine was time-consuming and dangerous, as boilers frequently burned out. The gasoline burners that heated the boilers could backfire, potentially setting the car on fire. Sales of the Locomobile peaked in 1900 at sixteen hundred, a remarkable figure at such an early date. The total was far greater than any other American automaker could produce and it rivaled the French automaker, De Dion-Bouton, as the greatest car production in the world. Sales fell the next year, however, as the primacy of gasoline-powered automobiles was established. Gas-powered cars could go farther, faster, and with fewer hassles than steam-powered cars of comparable sizes. Barber hired automobile engineer Andrew Riker to design him a gas-powered vehicle. The car he designed sold for $5,000. The new Locomobile appealed to rich consumers, and the company shifted its focus from low-cost production for the masses to high-cost production for the elite few. The last Locomobile steamers were produced in 1904. The end of the steam era saw the end of the company's importance. Other firms had been building gas-powered automobiles better, for longer. Locomobile survived through World War I producing trucks for the war market. After the war it became one in the overflowing market of luxury cars. The company died in 1929 after having been briefly incorporated into one of William Durant's holding companies.

Charles A. Yont and W.B. Felker completed the first automobile trip to the summit of Pikes Peak, Colorado, on this day, driving an 1899 locomobile steamer. Climbing 14,110 feet to the top was quite a feat for the little steamer. Pikes Peak is well known because of its commanding location and easy accessibility, and the view from the summit is said to have inspired the song 'America the Beautiful.'

Source - Anonymous

View more photos
Chassis Num: 33

Identical twin brothers Freelan Oscar and Francis Edgar Stanely were one of the first motorcar producers in the United States and one of the more successful in steam powered car production. Freelan Oscar and his wife are credited with being the first individuals to drive an automobile to the top of New Hampshire's Mount Washington on August 31st of 1899. Their Locomobile steam runabout took two hours and ten minutes to climb the slope, excepting the time required to refill the boiler with water. Their journey took about half the time required by a team of horses.

The Stanley brothers had created a successful business in manufacturing photographic plates. When the world was introduced to the motor car, the brothers began to tinker. By the autumn of 1897 they had produced their first motor car, with their automobile business opening in November 1898.

Their cars were shown at the Boston motor show in 1898 but prior to this, John Brisben Walker, publisher of Cosmopolitan magazine, acquired about buying the business. The brothers quickly stated a very high sum of $250,000, which was accepted, to much surprise of the Stanley brothers. The brothers were appointed as General Managers. To aid in the acquisition, Walker took Amzi Lorenzo Barber as partner in this venture. Barber had made a fortune paving America's cities and was known as 'The Asphalt King.' By June of 1899, deliveries of the Locomobiles had begun.

Almost as quickly as these acquisitions and alliances formed, they began to degrade. Quarrels between Walker and Barber broke out which later led to Barber running the Locomobile production on his own, with the help of his son-in-law Samuel Davis. In the very early 1900s they significantly changed the Stanley brothers designed. By 1904, Barbed decided to leave Locomobile.

This vehicle is an 1899 Locomobile Steam Runabout that sits on a wheelbase that measures 66-inches and is powered by the 3.5 horsepower twin-cylinder double-acting steam engine and powers the rear wheels through a single chain drive. Its wheelbase is longer than that of a standard runabout. There are wooden artillery wheels wearing Lincoln Highway 28x3 tires. The original wheels measured 28x2.5.

The standard boiler size was 14-inches in diameter, this example has a 16-inch boiler. The engine is a 'Number 5' type which was introduced around 1901, after around 3,000 examples had been produced. This is chassis number 33, meaning it was treated to modifications after it left the factory, later in its life.

This vehicle was offered for sale at the Vintage Motor Cars sale at Hershey, PA presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $25,000 - $30,000 and offered without reserve. Bidding quickly surpassed the estimates with the final bid settling at $71,500.

Photos grouped by event
Vintage Motor Cars at Hershey	2005 Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance

1899 Locomobile Stanhope Style I
Year	1899
Make	Locomobile
Model	Stanhope Style I
Engine Location	Rear
Drive Type	Rear Wheel
Price	$600.00
Weight	640 lbs \| 290.3 kg
Combined MPG	0.00

Chassis / Engine Numbers Shown
Chassis Number	33

Engine
Engine Configuration	I
Cylinders	2
Engine	Chain driven; twin cylinder; double action steam engine
Aspiration/Induction	Normal
Horsepower	3.50 HP (2.6 KW)
HP to Weight Ratio	182.9 LB / HP (Vehicles with similar ratio)
Fuel Type	Steam
	Vehicles with similar horsepower and weight

Recent Vehicle News

1899 Locomobile Stanhope Style I