The 1907 Stanley Semi-Racer Model K as it looks today
1905 Stanley Runabout Model CX 1908 Stanley Model EX
General History
In 1906, the Stanleys developed their strongest power plant ever, using a 4½-inch x 6½-inch engine and a 30-inch-diameter boiler. That same year, this power plant drove their streamlined racer to a world land speed record of 127.66 MPH. By 1907, the same power plant, with a somewhat smaller boiler, was installed in a very light three-passenger vehicle, creating one of the very first muscle cars. The catalog termed it a “semi-racer,” and only 26 were built.
An original ad for the Model K, found in a Stanley Steam Car sales brochure
Our Model’s History
The 1907 Stanley Semi-Racer Model K in our collection is not the first one to be owned by the Marshalls. In July 1910, T. Clarence Marshall bought a used Model K and owned it for three years. That vehicle was later broken up and the parts were thrown in the back corner of a machine shop in Avondale, Pennsylvania. In 1945, Hyde Ballard, a personal friend and an active member of the Antique Automobile Club of America, gathered up what he could find and used many of the original parts to rebuild the car. Tom Marshall then acquired and restored the Model K in 1986, and it has been in our collection to this day.
The Stanley Semi-Racer Model K as it was rebuilt, taken circa 1950s
Specifications
Capacity: 3 passengers
Engine: 30 horsepower
Weight: 1,850 pounds
Wheelbase: 108 inches
Cost: $1,800 in 1907; 2015 equivalent: $47,368
Comparison Chart
| Model | Car Type | Passenger Capacity | Engine (Horsepower for Steam & Gas, Volts for Electric) | Weight (Pounds) | Wheelbase (Inches) | Original Cost (Year Released) | Today's Equivalent Cost (in 2015) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 Mobile | Steam | 4 | 4.5 | 900 | 65 | 650 | 17000 |
| 1902 Stanley Stick-Seat Runabout | Steam | 4 | 6 | 900 | 70 | 650 | 18108 |
| 1905 Stanley Runabout Model CX | Steam | 4 | 8 | 1000 | 78 | 670 | 16900 |
| 1907 Stanley Semi-Racer Model K | Steam | 3 | 30 | 1850 | 108 | 1800 | 47368 |
| 1908 Stanley Model EX | Steam | 4 | 10 | 1200 | 90 | 870 | 20400 |
| 1908 Stanley Gentleman’s Speedy Roadster H-5 | Steam | 2 | 20 | 1350 | 100 | 1350 | 35526 |
| 1910 Stanley Touring Model 71 | Steam | 4 | 20 | 2200 | 115 | 1400 | 35000 |
| 1912 Stanley Touring Model 87 | Steam | 7 | 30 | 4200 | 134 | 2500 | 57100 |
| 1913 Stanley Model 76 | Steam | 5 | 20 | 2800 | 120 | 1700 | 38000 |
| 1913 Stanley Roadster Model 78 | Steam | 2 | 20 | 2500 | 115 | 1640 | 36700 |
| 1914 Stanley Model 607 | Steam | 4 | 10 | 2200 | 112 | 1450 | 34414 |
| 1915 Stanley Mountain Wagon Model 820 | Steam | 15 | 30 | 5000 | 136 | 2350 | 54635 |
| 1916 Stanley Touring Model 725 | Steam | 5 | 20 | 3400 | 130 | 1975 | 43004 |
| 1918 Stanley Touring Model 735 | Steam | 7 | 20 | 3850 | 130 | 2600 | 40866 |
| 1922 Stanley Touring Model 740 | Steam | 7 | 20 | 4200 | 130 | 2750 | 40866 |
| 1924 Stanley Model 750 | Steam | 7 | 20 | 4200 | 130 | 2600 | 36086 |
| 1914 Ford Model T | Gas | 5 | 20 | 1200 | 100 | 500 | 12000 |
| 1932 Packard Phaeton Model 905 | Gas | 4 | 160 | 5450 | 142 | 4750 | 82288 |
| 1937 Packard Model 1508 | Gas | 7 | 175 | 6000 | 144 | 4500 | 74168 |
| 1916 Rauch and Lang Electric Brougham | Electric | 5 | 90 | 3500 | 92 | 2800 | 60967 |