1907 Stanley Model EX Steam Runabout

Footnotes

Rarely is a Stanley offered for sale in this condition and so extensively documented, this example having been in the previous (family) ownership for 87 years.

First owner Ed Hunter bought the Stanley from George Grappotte's dealership in Watertown, New York. On 10th August 1924, Hunter sold the car to Fred 'Pickle' Jackson of Dexter, NY, making it that small rural town's first automobile. By then the EX was well worn and Jackson contemplated turning it into a sleigh because of the nice coachwork. The preceding owner's father happened to be there and persuaded Jackson to sell it to him instead. He was in Dexter visiting his mother, and left the car in her barn where it stayed until 1953. It was then that he decided to entrust its restoration to Ed Beagle of Bennington, Vermont. Beagle repaired the Stanley and got it running in fairly good order. Two years later, in 1955, Stanley Ellis featured Beagle and the then eight-year-old preceding owner in his seminal book, Smogless Days: Adventures in Ten Stanley Steamers. Ellis's book influenced the preservation of Stanleys by popularising, even facilitating, steam car collecting. Beagle kept the Stanley until 1972 when he turned 100.

At that point, the car was moved from Vermont to the preceding owner's home in Chatham, NY. Looking for advice on running the car, he contacted Carl Amsley (a well-known Stanley dealer and restorer) and others including Susan Davis of the then new Stanley Museum. The result was that the Stanley was fired up occasionally, with no extensive driving. On his father's death in 1992, the car passed to the immediately preceding owner, a resident of Utah at the time. Initially the car remained in Chatham before being moved to Utah.

Around that time, Lorin Tryon and Jules Heumann collaborated with Susan Davis and the Stanley Museum to put together a Stanley Class for the 1997 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Thanks to Stanley Museum member and Tryon and Heumann's 'Candy Store' friend, Jim Crank, the timing coincided with the centennial of the Stanley steam car. With help from Brent Campbell and other experts, a class of 12 Stanleys was assembled together with four White steam cars, four Dobles, and the coal-fired 1884 De Dion Bouton et Trepardoux Dos-a-Dos. The plan was to gather together the most representative and original steam cars in the country that properly told the story of the Stanley Steamer. By adding Whites, Dobles and the rare De Dion Bouton, the class was expanded to encompass steam cars in general. The Pebble Beach judges felt that this 1907 EX met the requirements of originality and provenance for the Stanley's longest-running 10 horsepower production model, built from 1906-1908.

At the same time, the preceding owner decided to put his car through a major restoration, which was completed in 1996. In doing so, he recruited the best Stanley west-coast experts to do the work: Stu Laidlaw's SOB Inc; Alan Blazick's Bill Harris and Lane Goulding; Loren Burch; and Arno Stites. They were helped with advice from east-coast experts, including the late Louie Biondi, Brent Campbell, Charlie Johnson and others. As with truly original Stanleys, the serial number '3595' was found on the body, in this case branded into the right side of the cowling. The wood was encapsulated with marine epoxy to seal it and prevent it from expanding and cracking the paint.

Once the restoration was completed, the Stanley was entered in the 1996 Silverado Concours in Napa, California where it placed 2nd. Next year at Pebble Beach its 3rd place in the Stanley Class was especially significant, as the field included the country's top Stanleys. After Pebble Beach, the EX returned to Ogden, Utah where it was driven and shown, and for a few years was a major attraction in the Browning Car Museum at Union Station in Ogden. The current UK-based vendor purchased the Stanley at Bonhams' Greenwich sale in June 2012 (Lot 483).
Since its acquisition the Stanley has been maintained by Tony Smallbone. Works carried out have included installing a new boiler, burner pan, etc (by Don Bourdon) while the engine has been stripped and refreshed with new packings, lots of new pipework, valves serviced, etc, and new tyres fitted. Related paperwork and bills are on file.

The car comes with newspaper articles, written documentation and original photographic prints used in Stanley Ellis's Smogless Days book as well as others taken when the preceding owner's father bought the car in New York in 1924. A picture of George Grappotte's dealership where the car was first sold is also included together with the original 1924 cheque for its purchase.

This Stanley will be a significant addition to any collection that includes 'Brass Era' automobiles. For those who may wish also to drive it, he or she will enjoy the Stanley's exhilarating performance.

This Lot is available to view at Classic Car Storage near Petersfield, Hampshire (by appointment with the Car Department only) from Monday 24th October to Wednesday 2nd November. It will then be available to view at Bonhams, 101 New Bond Street on Friday 4th November from 10am.