This 1913 Stanley Steamer is a Model 810 12-passenger Mountain Wagon that is said to have been purchased as a collection of parts in the 1970s by marque specialist Carl Amsley, who subsequently completed a refurbishment with the installation of updated powertrain components. Following the project’s completion in 1976, the car received an AACA National First Prize before being sold to an Idaho owner and then joining the Stan Lucas collection in 1981. It remained in storage as part of the Lucas collection in Long Beach, California, for 44 years before being purchased in 2025 by the selling dealer, who performed a recommissioning to return the car to an operable state. In 2026, the car participated in Audrain Motor Week in Newport, Rhode Island, where it was driven on the Audrain Tour d’Elegance and displayed at the Audrain Concours d’Elegance. Finished in red with black and gold-color accents, the car is powered by a boiler with a dual-fuel Baker burner and a Coleman pilot feeding steam to a 20-horsepower twin-cylinder double-acting engine linked directly to the rear axle. Additional features include rear drum brakes with externally contracting bands and internally expanding shoes, 28” wood-spoke wheels, a black soft top, and four bench seats trimmed in black tufted leather. This Stanley Mountain Wagon is now offered in Alexandria, Virginia, with historical photos, owner’s literature, a 1981 purchase document, and a Montana title listing the car as a 1913 SMCC.
The Stanley Motor Carriage Company was founded in 1902 by twin brothers Francis E. Stanley and Freelan O. Stanley after the pair built a variety of steam-powered cars in the late 1800s, including the first automobile to climb Mount Washington Carriage Road. In 1908, the company began development of the Mountain Wagon model tailored to the needs of resorts and sightseeing companies in mountainous regions. Produced between 1909 and 1916, the Mountain Wagon featured removable seats that gave it the flexibility to serve as a truck or delivery vehicle in addition to offering transportation services.
Riding on a 136″ wheelbase chassis, this example’s wood bodywork was repainted during the refurbishment performed by Carl Amsley in the 1970s and is finished in red with black and gold-color accents. Features include Rushmore acetylene headlights, an oil-fed tail lamp and cowl lamps, a fold-down windshield, running boards, a rear tailgate, and a black soft top with a six-pane rear window.
Red-painted wood artillery wheels feature gold-color pinstriping and black rims and are wrapped in 38×5 Universal Tire wide-whitewall tires. Stopping is handled by mechanically actuated rear drum brakes with internally expanding drums actuated via a foot pedal and lever-operated externally contracting bands. Depression of the reverse pedal can also be used to achieve a braking effect. Suspension incorporates solid axles sprung by fully elliptical leaves with nested auxiliary leaf springs at the rear.
The right-hand-drive open cabin houses four bench seats that are trimmed in black tufted leather and host up to three passengers each. Black rubber mats cover the floors.
The wood-rimmed steering wheel sits ahead of a red-painted dashboard panel with an array of valves, a water-level sight gauge, and pressure gauges, the last of which are opposed by an oil-fed lamp affixed to the steering column. A central hand lever operates a manual fuel pump, and the throttle is controlled via a lever behind the steering wheel. A right-side foot pedal controls the brakes, while a dual pedal on the left handles reverse selection. A floor-mounted button activates a steam whistle, and a hand-operated J. Piel & Co. Long Horn is situated to the driver’s right.
The two-cylinder Rankine-cycle engine is mounted horizontally under the rear of the car, and steam supply from a front-mounted boiler is regulated by slide valves and Stephenson valve gear. Roller-bearing connecting rods turn a single crankshaft with a central gear in direct mesh with the rear differential gear. Originally equipped with a 30-horsepower engine, the car is said to have been fitted with a later 20-horsepower unit during the refurbishment by Carl Amsley, who also added a dual-fuel Baker burner with a Coleman pilot light as well as updated fluid pumps.
A recommissioning following the selling dealer’s purchase is said to have included servicing of the boiler as well as the fuel and water systems.
A collection of historical photos is included in the sale along with an owner’s manual, a brochure, and a 1981 letter outlining the purchase of the car by Stan Lucas.