A MORE SOPHISTICATED, IF SLOWER, STEAMER; 1918 STANLEY 735.(Escape Roads)

Byline: JOHN F. KATZ

Stanley was losing steam by 1910, as internal-combustion cars advanced not only in performance but also (as Kit Foster notes in The Stanley Steamer: America's Legendary Steam Car) in the techniques of mass production. Also problematic was the Stanley's range-limiting water consumption of 1 to 2 mpg. An all-new chassis for 1915 added a condenser that recycled exhaust steam and quadrupled distance between fill-ups; it also featured Stanley's first steel (not wood) frame and electric generator. But with all of this improvement came a massive 54 percent increase in weight. And with the same 23-inch boiler just behind the front wheels and the same four-by-five-inch, two-cylinder, double-acting engine lying horizontally ahead of the rear axle, performance suffered.

The Model 735 brought more crisp and modern styling, along with Stanley's first actual instrument panel, rather than individual gauges on the firewall. Robert E. Wilhelm Jr. bought this one in 1997 and completed his restoration (the car's second) in 2005. Standard color was royal green, but the factory offered custom paint, and Robert chose two 1918 reds from Stanley's paint supplier.

Three can stretch out in the back, and with jumpseats deployed, there's room for five. The driver's compartment is a bit tight. There's space behind the wooden helm, but the bottom-hinged pedals lie directly below the driver's knees.

Most noticeable is ...