In automotive use, the Stanhope is a car body style characterized by its single bench seat mounted at the center, folding cloth top, and a dashboard at the front. These vehicles were built from approximately 1900 to 1910. The design was derived from the Stanhope horse-drawn carriage and could be considered a specific type of runabout.
Initial Stanhope models featured tiller steering, either in the center or at the side. Features of the car included a foot button to signal a bell (early version of a horn), hard rubber tires, wood trim, and eight forward speeds, three backs and a top speed of about .
Further productions of the Stanhope automobile include three-wheeled versions with fully enclosed body work and a four-wheeled version with front-wheel drive using chains, which also allowed front-wheel steering.
Models
1899–1916 Woods electric car
1899 Winton (largest manufacturer of gasoline-powered automobiles in the United States at the time) 1900–1901 Porter Motor Company (manufacturer of steam-powered automobiles) 1900–1910 White Steamcar (largest manufacturer of steam-powered automobiles) 1901–1907 Oldsmobile Curved Dash 1904–1906 Twyford Stanhope