1911 Stanley Steamer Touring

The Model 70 Touring car was built from March 1910 to February 1912, with production reaching 259 cars. This example was owned by 'America's Favorite Tenor,' James Melton of Connecticut - later of Florida. He acquired this Stanley Model 70 Touring around 1940 and drove it extensively during World War II, in part because it used kerosene, not gasoline, as fuel.

When the Melton museum closed, the car was sold to Winthrop Rockefeller, who moved it to Petit Jean Mountain, Arkansas. In 1971, it was acquired by a Midwestern collector and was subsequently completely restored. During his decades of ownership, the car was driven approximately 80,000 miles. In the 1990s, the car received hydraulic brakes, and the wheel bearings were replaced with sealed, modern equipment for safe and reliable touring.

In 2022, the car was sold at RM Auction's Hershey sale representing the first time it had been up for sale in five decades.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2022