1910 Stanley Model 70

By 1910, most car manufacturers chose gas engines to power their cars. Gas engines, or internal combustion engines, were very reliable. People were becoming familiar with gas engines. And with the invention of the electric starter, cars no longer had to be hand cranked. But steam cars were still popular with some car buyers, and the Stanley Brothers, Francis Edgar and Freelan Oscar, had found a niche with their steam-powered cars. 

Stanley cars such as the Model 70 are known as coffin-nosed stanleys. The big boiler containing many tubes is right under the hood. A burner underneath heats the water. To operate the car, water must be added and heated to produce steam. Once the water is turned to steam, more water must be added. So, in order to drive a Stanley Steam car, you don't need a gas station, you need water. In the early 1900s, it must have been challenging to always find a source of water to keep going.