1922 Stanley Steamer Model 735 Touring

The Stanley twins, Francis and Freelan, made their fortune by inventing and manufacturing dry photographic plates and later selling their firm to Eastman Kodak. In 1897, they found their second great success by producing Stanley steam-powered 'motor carriages.' Two years later, the brothers sold the car company to the publisher of Cosmopolitan magazine, who named the car the Locomobile. The Stanleys soon re-entered the auto industry, naming their new car the Stanley Steamer. The Stanley was built in Massachusetts from 1899 to 1927, although the brothers retired from the company in 1917 while in their sixties.

A modified Stanley Steamer broke the land speed record at Daytona Beach by reaching 127 mph in 1906.

In 1918, the Stanley Model 735 was introduced. It featured a condensing boiler that offered greater range prior to having to stop for a refill. The coils located in a front-mounted radiator were part of a closed-loop system allowing the steam to return to the boiler instead of being released into the atmosphere.

During the production lifespan of the Model 735, over 1,700 examples were sold, making them the most successful of all Stanley models.

This particular example is a 1922 Stanley Model 735B touring car. In 1992 it was mechanically restored.

Eric Massiet du Biest, a Frenchman, went on a world tour in a Citroen Traction in the 1980s. Wanting to embark on a new challenge, he decided to undertake another world tour in a steam-powered car. One example was found by a philanthropist automobile collector, Robert Sarailh, and ATS, a manufacturer of bespoke lifts. The car was christened 'Passepartout' as an homage to the valet who accompanied Phineas Fogg in Jules Verne's epic novel Around the World in 80 Days. His journey was chronicled in the January–March 1993 issue of Bulb Horn.

While in the United States, Passe-Partout had problems that were never solved. The burners had a reliability issue. The trip organizers purchased a school bus which served as a towing and breakdown support vehicle. In Russia, a 4x4 of the Soviet army performed the duties of the bus.

After the trip, a specialist was sourced, and the car was returned to good condition. In 2009, it was sold to an engineer, who then completely restored the car, improving the original system.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2017