1899 Crouch Steam Runabout

Sold for $93,500 at 2014 RM Auctions - Hershey.
W.E. Crouch built a steam-powered automobile in 1899 in New Brighton, Pennsylvania. It is believed that he built a total of three automobiles, with the first two perhaps used to provide parts for the third, which was constructed in Baltimore. That third example featured an advanced enclosed crankcase with a jackshaft and an offset differential and a steam engine that is believed to have been converted from one built in Baltimore for marine use. It had a body built of angle iron and was clothed in aluminum.

This sole surviving Crouch was discovered in the basement of its original factory during World War II. It was sold by scrappers to Ed Hook, who later passed it to Henry Gottschalk, who would own it for many years. The next owner was AACA member and past president Sterling Walsh. The car remained in Mr. Walsh's care for three decades before selling it to the current caretaker, who oversaw a painstaking restoration. The restoration work earned the car multiple AACA awards, which included a National Award in Philadelphia in 2011.

The car is powered by a twin-cylinder double-acting steam engine offering eight horsepower. There is a tiller steering and a differential brake.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2014