1918 Stanley Touring Model 735 1924 Stanley Model 750

Want to hear our founder Tom Marshall talk about the Model 740? Check out this video from the official Marshall Steam Museum YouTube channel!

Tom Marshall: Model 740

General History

By 1922, the Stanley factory remained the last manufacturer of steam cars, but production was high at more than 450 cars that year. Visually indistinguishable from contemporary gas cars, the performance of late Stanleys had nonetheless fallen far behind. The Model 740 weighed more than 4,000 pounds but used the same power plant as the 2,000-pound cars from more than 10 years earlier. Only minor engineering changes had been made during that time. Although its performance is leisurely, the car offers a smooth and near-silent ride.

Our Model’s History

Clarence Marshall purchased the Model 740, the second car in his emerging collection, from Robert B. Chase of Earlville, New York. He used it for daily transportation during World War II, when gasoline was rationed but kerosene remained available and in little demand.

This car is quite original, with only a paint job in the 1940s over the original paint. It has a “California top,” made of fabric stretched over an iron framework that does not fold down. The engine may never have been out of this car, although the boiler was changed during World War II, but not since. The wheels are original.

This car adopted by Stan & Kim Wilcox