1921 Stanley Steamer

The Stanley Steamer, a steam-powered automobile, was produced by the Stanley Motor Carriage Company in Newton, Massachusetts. In 1906, the Stanley Rocket set the world land speed record at 127.7 mph (205.5 km/h) at the Daytona Beach Road Course, driven by Fred Marriott, picking up the Dewar Trophy in the process. This is still officially recognized as the land speed record for a steam car. The Steamer enjoyed a boom in the early 1900s before eventually being overtaken technologically by the internal combustion engine.

This Stanley Steamer, one of two believed to exist, features a 2-cylinder, 20-horsepower engine with a 23-inch x 14-inch boiler, the gear ratio is 40/60, and a wheelbase is 130 inches.

Stanley's did not have a key or ignition switch such as those found in an internal explosion engine-powered car, simply because a Stanley did not require electricity (an electrical spark) to operate. A Stanley operates much the same way as older natural gas-fired appliances operate, utilizing a pilot flame and a main burner. (A match was used to light the pilot flame, which in turn lit the main burner when the gas was turned on.)

Later condensing model Stanley's had a simplistic electrical system to operate the vehicle's lights and horn (battery, generator, cut-out switch, lights, and horn). According to the instruction manual to light the pilot, a heavy cable was clipped onto the end of the pilot vaporizing tube. Depressing a switch shorted the vaporizing tube across the battery, heating it sufficiently such that when pilot fuel was introduced into the pilot, it would be heated and could easily be ignited with a match or spark lighter.

While this method of lighting the pilot worked, it proved to be very hard on the car's battery. The operator's manual recommends driving 30+ miles to recharge the batter after using it to heat the pilot vaporizing tube. With the relatively low and inconsistent output from the generator and the fact that the cars were usually not driven all that far, batteries were often found drained when it came time to start the car. Small torches were often carried to light the pilot. Today, everyone uses the more convenient and reliable propane torch to light the pilot.