Sign in

Private company

Stanley Motor Carriage Company

Logo: Buch-t, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

American manufacturer of steam cars

The Stanley Motor Carriage Company was an American manufacturer of steam cars that operated from 1902 to 1924, going defunct after it failed to adapt to competition from rapidly improving internal combustion engine vehicles. The cars made by the company were colloquially called Stanley Steamers although several different models were produced.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1902Founded1
  • Industryautomotive industry1
  • HeadquartersNewton1

See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards

Cars-stanleysteamcar-amoswolfe
Photo: Amos Wolfe, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons5

The Stanley Motor Carriage Company was an American manufacturer of steam cars that operated from 1902 to 1924, going defunct after it failed to adapt to competition from rapidly improving internal combustion engine vehicles. The cars made by the company were colloquially called Stanley Steamers although several different models were produced.2

The story

Twins Francis E. Stanley (1849–1918) and Freelan O. Stanley (1849–1940) founded the company, after selling their photographic dry plate business to Eastman Kodak. They made their first car in 1897. During 1898 and 1899, they produced and sold over 200 cars, more than any other U.S. maker.

In 1899, Freelan and his wife Flora drove one of their cars to the top of Mount Washington in New Hampshire, the highest peak in the northeastern United States. The ascent took more than two hours and was notable as being the first time a car had climbed the 7.6-mile-long (12.2 km) Mount Washington Carriage Road. The Stanleys later sold the rights to this early design to Locomobile. In 1902, they formed their own Stanley Motor Carriage Company.

From Wikipedia’s article on Stanley Motor Carriage Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Products and brands

  • vehicle

Listed on Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. 1924Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1902Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5