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1904 Stanley B
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Description
In the 1890s, Freelan Oscar Stanley and Francis Edgar Stanley, twin brothers from Kingfield, Maine, were running a successful photography supply business in Newton, Massachusetts when they became increasingly interested in personal transportation. The unverifiable story is that F.E.’s wife couldn’t ride a bicycle and the couple wanted something they could ride on together. It took about two years of experimenting and building, but by 1898, the brothers had a…
In the 1890s, Freelan Oscar Stanley and Francis Edgar Stanley, twin brothers from Kingfield, Maine, were running a successful photography supply business in Newton, Massachusetts when they became increasingly interested in personal transportation. The unverifiable story is that F.E.’s wife couldn’t ride a bicycle and the couple wanted something they could ride on together. It took about two years of experimenting and building, but by 1898, the brothers had a working steam car.
Instead of manufacturing their car, the Stanley Brothers sold their steam car patents to John Walker, the publisher of Cosmopolitan magazine. Walker then partnered with Amzi L. Barber, a wealthy asphalt contractor to develop the business. The partnership soon fell apart and both men opened their own steam car companies. In 1902, Locomobile built 5200 cars and was the largest auto company in the country. However, company officials saw the gasoline engine as the future for the auto industry. In 1904, they sold only 200 steam cars before selling the steam car business back to the Stanley Brothers. The company continued to produce gasoline cars until 1929.
The Stanley B represents one of the early cars the Brothers produced after becoming automakers.
Body Style:
Runabout
Year:
1904
Make / Manufacturer:
Stanley Motor Carriage Company
Model:
B
Location Created:
Newton, MA
Donated By:
Harry Harrison
Cylinders:
2
Engine Type:
Steam