1908 Stanley Model M

The Stanley twins, Francis E. and Freelan O., were gifted businessmen and talented designers. Raised in Maine, their ingenuity led to twice creating successful businesses, the first was selling dry plates to the photography industry. Frank was a talented artist who made his living by painting portraits with an airbrush. He acquired a camera to take pictures of his portrait clients and soon discovered the clients enjoyed the photos as much as they did the portraits. Frank, however, was not as impressed with the quality of the dry photo plate gelatin emulsions. So he created his own, and it turned out to be a superior dry plate.

They expanded their dry plate business after moving from Maine to the Boston suburb of Watertown and soon took over sales directly to their customers. A second factory in Canada was later added, increasing their output and improving their margins and competitiveness. This made the Stanley brothers wealthy, which allowed them to explore other interests.

By the late 1890s, the internal combustion engine was growing in popularity and practicality. The Stanley brothers went in another direction, building lightweight automobiles powered by steam. The boilers were wrapped with piano wire for extra rigidity, and the engines offered a maximum pressure of 300 psi (working pressure was 150 psi). Initially, they built three minimalistic buckboard-like examples, driving two and selling the third for $600.

Near the close of the century, an automobile show was held in Boston, with trials in Cambridge. The Stanley brothers intended to observe the trials, but with only four entrants (a deDion-Bouton, a Haynes-Apperson, a Whitney steamer, and a Riker electric), they decided to join the trial. Their steamer quickly turned the fastest three laps of the Cambridge velodrome and was the only one of the five that was able to climb the test hill's 30% grade.

With customers eager to purchase a Stanley steam-powered automobile, the brothers acquired an empty bicycle factory and started to fill orders. John B. Walker, the publisher of Cosmopolitan, made the twins an offer a few months later to become a partner. Although the brothers were financially sound, Walker was able to convince the brothers to sell the entire operation. Not wanting to sell, the brothers quoted an outlandish price of a quarter-million dollars. Too much to their surprise, Walker accepted and later changed the name to Locomobile.

Two years later, the Stanley brothers re-acquired their factory and resumed production of Stanley automobiles. George Whitney filed a suit claiming the Stanley's use of a chain tensioner infringed on a patent he held. So the Stanley brothers removed the chain and installed a spur gear in the center of the crankshaft, driving the rear axle's differential directly.

The Stanley automobiles used simple tube axles to support the wood frame and body, resting on full elliptical leaf springs. The front and rear axles were attached by simple poles called 'perch rods.' The boiler was fueled by gasoline, and the steam was exhausted after it passed through the engine, so the onboard engine water tank required regular replenishment. The driver and passenger sat on a box that covered the boiler.

By early 1904, George Eastman acquired the Stanley brother's photographic dry plate business, which also meant they were no longer competitors. With plenty of capital on hand, Frank concentrated on the steam car business. Freelan, who had a long history of tuberculosis, traveled west and to the mountain valley of Estes Park, Colorado, and built the Stanley Hotel there on 160 acres purchased from Lord Dunraven.

The Stanley automobile continued to evolve. In 1905, the boiler was relocated to the front of the chassis, and the tiller steering was replaced with a wheel. The boiler's working pressure grew in 1905 to 300 psi, and then to 550 psi in 1908. To prove the steam engine's capability, a streamlined red racer was built with which Fred Marriott set the land speed record on Florida's Ormond Beach, covering a measured mile in 28 1/5 seconds, a speed of 127.659. The record would not be broken for the next five years.

The 1908 Model M had a 4.5-inch bore, 6.5-inch stroke twin double-acting cylinder, and 26-inch boiler. This boiler was also used in the 1905 land speed record car, and the Model Z Mountain Wagon which carried passengers from the railroad terminus to the Stanley Hotel.

The 1908 Stanleys were available as a runabout, a Gentleman's Speedy Roadster, a Limousine, Semi-Racer, and two touring body styles resting on different wheelbases. Wheelbase sizes ranged from 90- to 114 inches, with the Model M Touring resting on the largest platform. It had seating for five passengers and was powered by a 30-horsepower engine. With identical mechanical specifications to the land-speed-record-setting Stanley, the Model M could run at 70 mph for as long as there was water in the tank.

The Model M was built from 1908 to 1909 and was expensive, thus, only 75 were sold over the two years.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2020