Another Fine Car, Stanley

It's not every day that a steam car is seen out and about, rather than at a specialist show. This Stanley steamed up outside Canal Central (YMGW passim). It is owned by Diana and David Goddard, of Montford Bridge, near Shrewsbury.

The Stanley twins built their first car in 1897, and later sold the design to Locomobile. They formed the Stanley Motor Carriage Company, of Newton, Massachusetts, in 1902. The company operated until 1924, killed off by the internal combustion engine.

This car is of 1909. The 20hp Model 85 was known colloquially as a "coffin nose." It has two cylinders, connected directly to the rear axle - no driveshaft and no clutch. And it's huge.