In automotive use, a 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.[1] 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 designs featured tiller steering,[2] 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 and three reverse gears, and a top speed of about 500NaN0.