The previous record was set in 1906, by American racing car driver Fred Marriott. Marriott drove a Stanley steam car at Daytona Beach for his 1906 record-setting run, averaging an impressive 128mph. The record stood for more than a hundred years, until the Inspiration team drove their turbine car at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert at an average speed of 140mph.

If you want to see a Stanley steam car that’s even earlier than Marriott’s, come to Wroughton on 12 and 13 September to see our 1899 machine. It’s a bit different to the sleek Inspiration car that raced this week! 

Stanley Locomobile steam car, 1899 (credit: Science Museum / Science & Society)

At the turn of the twentieth century, as the car started to gain popularity, it was steam and electric vehicles that far outsold internal combustion engine (ICE) ones.

Then with advances in ICE cars such as starter motors  (rather than hand-cranks that could break your arm if you weren’t careful), things switched around. Today, steam cars seem quaint and electric cars seem brand new. But things could have been very different.

More on our electric car collection another time, but here’s a couple of pictures of some of our other steam cars (not on show at the Wroughton festival, sadly):

Foster steam car, 1901 (credit: Science Museum / Science & Society)

White steam car, 1903-5 (credit: Science Museum / Science & Society)