1904 Stanley Model C

Francis E and Freeland O Stanley were identical twins who made a sizeable fortune from their Stanley Dry Plate Company producing photographic equipment. Using their skills, talents, and financial resources, they experimented with a solitary steam car prototype in 1887 before reviving the project in 1897. By the following year, the brother had built three more, one of which completed a demonstration in Charles River Park, Boston, where it successfully scaled an 80ft incline that had defeated its rivals. Orders for 200 cars prompted the Stanleys to enter the horseless carriage business.

The design of the Stanley production steam car caught the attention of John Brisben Walker. Eager to buy the design and business, Walker tempted the brothers by saying, 'name your price.' So the brothers quoted him an astronomical price of $250,000 for the whole business. To their surprise, Walker, publisher of The Cosmopolitan magazine, accepted the deal. After securing the financial backing of Lorenzo Barber, 'The Asphalt King' who had made millions paving the nation's cities, Walker acquired the Stanleys' business. The twins were retrained to act as 'general managers.'

Under the direction of Walker, the Stanley car became the Locomobile; it was immediately popular and for a time the best-selling car in America. Like many partnerships, however, it was not long before Walker and Barber began to quarrel, bringing an end to the union. The Stanley brothers waited out the one-year during which they had agreed to refrain from the manufacture of steam cars. During this time, the brothers designed a far superior steam car.

The Stanley automobile abandoned the Locomobile pattern of a transverse front spring in favor of full-elliptic springs, oriented longitudinally, on all four corners. The generous wheelbase had grown to 70 inches, and there was a front seat that could carry two more passengers. The front of the car had a double curve that became even more streamlined in 1903.

The 1904 Stanley Type C

Until 1905, the Stanley 'model' was referred to as a 'type.' Produced by the Stanley Motor Carriage Company of Newton, Massachusetts, the Stanley Type C had a 78-inch wheelbase and was powered by a two-cylinder, simple, double-acting steam engine that produced six horsepower. The diameter of the boiler measured 14 inches, and it was 13 inches high and rated at ten horsepower. The fuel tank could hold thirteen gallons of fuel, and the water tank held twenty gallons.

The 1904 Stanley Type C had a base price of approximately $700. The spindle back runabout was built by Currier & Cameron of Amesbury, Massachusetts, and was made from wood with a foldout front seat.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2023