I figure this goes here since the decline was AFTER 1900, but if belongs BEFORE the mods are authorized to move it there.
The Stanley steam cars were, for a while, the leaders in the U.S. automobile industry. But then things like the electric starter and "internal explosion engine" (as the Stanley twins termed it) started them on the slow slide to becoming outstripped by Ford and Cadillac etc (which were cheaper, since Ford was turning out as many as the Stanleys were in a year). By the end of the 1920s they were almost completely obsolete.
My question is this: can we keep the Stanleys competition with Ford etc? Ford would probably have outstripped them if the fact mentioned above is true. But what would it take for Stanley (or any other) steam cars to remain a thing up to the present, adapting and evolving on a paralel line to petrol/gas-using cars? Could it happen? Or was Stanley dead in the water unless they actually tried to compete with Ford etc?
*PS IDK much about the history of cars so please forgive any mistakes I may have made. I just saw a brief clip about steam cars at the car showroom/autoshop this morning while I was waiting for them to service my car.