The American Steam Car was a product of the American Steam Automobile Co, West Newton, Massachusetts

West Newton, Massachusetts

West Newton is a village of the City of Newton, Massachusetts and is one of the oldest of the thirteen Newton villages. The postal code 02465 roughly matches the village limits.-Location:...

, from 1924 to 1942. It was built by Thomas S. Derr, a former faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...

.

Derr specialized in servicing, modifications and improvements of Stanley

Stanley Steamer

The Stanley Motor Carriage Company was a manufacturer of steam-engine vehicles; it operated from 1902 to 1924. The cars made by the company were colloquially called Stanley Steamers, although several different models were produced.-Early history:...

 steam cars. He went on to develop his own engine and boiler and offered for sale a number of cars as models of the American Steam Car, catering largely to former Stanley Steamer owners. The cars were largely conversions, the chassis, bodies, and basic components were from Hudson cars, but the hubcaps and condenser emblem bore the American name.