Stanley Rocket land-speed car
A slim steam-powered racer hissed across a Florida beach at more than 127 mph—before ordinary family cars had even learned to look fast.
1906 Stanley Rocket land-speed car · LeSesne, Richard H. · Public domain
Research pending
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More than a set of wheels.
F. E. Stanley designed and built the Rocket for the winter speed tournament on the hard-packed sand at Ormond Beach. On January 26, 1906, company driver Fred Marriott covered the measured mile in 28.2 seconds, an officially reported 127.659 mph. The little streamliner became the first car to pass 200 km/h and made steam power the headline act of the early speed-record era.
Look a little closer.
The Smithsonian preserves the Rocket's engine, donated by Fred Marriott in 1940, even though the complete record car does not survive there.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
Twenty-eight seconds that changed the record book
Ormond Beach's official history and the Smithsonian agree on the essential result: Marriott drove the Rocket at 127.659 mph on January 26, 1906. The city's account says the record stood for four years, unusually long at a time when rivals sometimes traded records within hours.
Source: City of Ormond Beach · Birthplace of Speed ↗The surviving mechanical heart
A Smithsonian technical bulletin identifies the preserved racing engine as the power plant from Marriott's record car and gives its 4.5-inch bore and 6.5-inch stroke. The museum catalog records it as object TR.311899, a gift from Marriott, so this profile avoids unsupported horsepower and boiler-pressure guesses found in later retellings.
Source: Smithsonian · Stanley steam racing engine record ↗Where these facts come from
- City of Ormond Beach · Birthplace of Speed
- Smithsonian · Stanley racing engine catalog record
- Smithsonian · Automobile Propulsion Systems technical bulletin
- Stanley Museum · museum overview
- Heritage Crossroads · Ormond Beach Birthplace of Speed
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed September 30, 2026.