1910 Stanley 10hp Steam Runabout
Registration no. BF 4908
Chassis no. 5491

Retaining a 1922 California State registration document, chassis number '5491' is believed to have raced at Pomona in Los Angeles County during the late 1910s/early 1920s (see photographs on file). '5491' was dilapidated but mechanically complete when purchased by Geary Baese of Fort Collins, Colorado, who partially restored the car before selling it to fellow steam car enthusiast, Colin May of North Yorkshire, in 2006. Appreciating the Stanley's originality and provenance, Mr May set about returning the car to its original Runabout specification. The Stanley was registered as 'BF 4908' on 22nd August 2008, passing to the current vendor two years later.

Since then the Stanley has been extensively refurbished and improved with the assistance of Stanley steam transport specialists JR Goold and Coachbuilder Mitchell Motors. The vendor undertook some of the work himself: fitting a new boiler, redesigning much of the plumbing, and adding extra pressure gauges for propane, steam chest, and cylinder steam oil. In addition, a Weir auxiliary water pump has been fitted to help fill the boiler (usable down to 100psi). Starting on neat petrol and running on a 50/50 petrol/diesel mixture, the vaporising tube is preheated by a propane gas pilot, continuously lit by spark ignition, with its own twin 3.9kg cylinders and auto-changeover propane system, which is ready to go.

Recently repainted in Brewster Green with black wings, yellow chassis, and yellow (Ford Model T) wheels (a livery introduced for the 1910 season), the Stanley retains its correct suspension, drive-train, steering, and ancillaries, while the leather interior was re-trimmed recently by JR Goold. The Stanley was steamed last on its boiler test conducted successfully on 24 September 2019, the fresh boiler pressure and fuel systems safety certificate being issued to 24th November 2020. When in use the Runabout is said to possess "excellent climbing performance" and be capable of over 40mph.

Benefiting from hundreds of hours of development over the last nine years, and having participated in many British steam car club tours, this unusually original Stanley benefits from a water tank refilling steam syphon and hose,
locomotive-type multi-tone steam whistle, and rear hydraulic brakes. Spares include four rear wheels, a fire extinguisher, a burner jet pricking tool, fuel, water, oil and steam schematic, and spare boiler sight glass and gaskets. The documentation is also worth closer inspection, including operating instructions, a Model 60 10hp Runabout specification book, a quantity of photographs and records of a restoration undertaken in the 1970s, the all important boiler test certificate dated to November 2020, as well as old/current V5C documents and two large files containing sundry bills and assorted correspondence.