1909 Stanley Steamer Model E2 Runabout

The Stanley steam car was available in six models for 1909. The Model E2 was powered by a 10-horsepower, twin-piston engine employing just 13 moving parts.

This example was rescued by a former Stanley employee named Ralph Van Dine in the early 1940s. This was one of the numerous old Stanleys that were resurrected in the gas-rationing days of World War II. Van Dine soon passed the car in 1948 to J.D. Van Sciver Jr., and while it was in his care, it was repainted the present shade of chartreuse. Cameron Peck eventually purchased the Stanley, later selling it to S.D. Jarvis of Illinois. Following Jarvis's 1953 passing, his son, Vernon, inherited this runabout, along with the family's other antique cars. The collection continued to grow over the years and was eventually established as the Early American Museum at Silver Springs, Florida, where the Stanley remained for over three decades.

The bulk of the Jarvis Collection was sold in 1987 to Robert Bahre, who soon thereafter passed the Stanley to another collector, with whom it remained for a quarter-century.

This Model E2 has recently been returned to running and driving order. It continues to wear its Van Sciver repaint, with more recently refinished fenders and older restored black upholstery. This is an authentic vehicle except for the wheels - when the car was found in the early 1940s, the current size of tires was not available.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2016