the stanley motor carriage company was an american manufacturer of steam-engine cars. the company was founded in 1898 and incorporated in 1901. the cars made by the company were called stanley steamers. they were produced from 1896 to 1924. in the early 1900s steam was used to power locomotives, steamships, even sewing machines. it seemed natural that steam could power cars. of all the steam driven cars made in the early 20th century, the stanley steamer was the best-known and most popular. today stanley steamers are rare automobiles and hard to find outside of museums and a few car collections.