Completed well along in the production series of Abner Doble’s masterpiece, this Series, chassis E-24, was finished in June 1925 at the Emeryville, California, factory wearing a handsome coupe body by Murphy. This particular Doble would lead a fascinating existence and has survived to this day against formidable odds. This Doble served as Abner Doble’s personal car, and as such, was treated to all of the company’s newest innovations – including the first draft booster turbine, which optimized heat circulation within the boiler – and was fitted with four-wheel brakes and special Robert Bosch headlamps. Doble employee Barney Becker related stories of Abner’s extensive mileage in E-24, and how it was also regularly pushed to its limits. Mr. Doble would call Becker to say that he was leaving his Berkeley home and to open wide the factory’s front doors; minutes later, Doble and E-24 would arrive with a screech, having covered the 12 miles of city driving in under 20 minutes – in 1925.

Mr. Doble took E-24 with him to New Zealand and used it both as his personal transport and to demonstrate the capabilities of steam power to throngs of amazed onlookers on the steepest hill he could find. A press report of one such event reads: “Running up the middle of the hill the car stopped, without brakes, poised against steam pressure. Then the throttle was opened, the car simply picked up without a sensation of effort and rolled over the crest at 25 mph. It is a remarkable sensation. There is no racing engine or simultaneous juggling with the clutch and brake – just the impression of bottled power.”

Mr. Doble was in New Zealand to work on the engineering of the earliest A & G Price Ltd. steam buses. One of the prototypes was fitted with E-24’s experimental draft booster; unfortunately, it was never returned to the car. Later, the Coupe was shipped to the UK, again providing primary transport for Abner Doble while he was working for Sentinel Waggon Works on their line of steam trucks. There, E-24 received a new steam generator, throttle, and burner, which remain on the car today.

Following Doble’s ownership, E-24 passed through a series of custodians, under whose stewardship it underwent several modifications, including having its roofline rounded, quarter-windows added, and occasional seats installed in the rear. The car made its way back to the US in the early 1950s, and in 1964 found its way to William Harrah’s automobile collection in Sparks, Nevada – but not before a stint at the McCulloch Corporation, whose principals sought to develop and market a steam car of their own.

The McCulloch engineers, seeking to test the competition, ran the engine with the car’s front bumper against a wall, leading to the failure of the crankshaft. Interim owner Richard Hempel repaired E-24’s crankshaft before selling it to Bill Harrah in 1964. Once it was safely in the Harrah workshops, the Doble was treated to a thorough, top-level restoration. Master craftsman Cal Tinkham was charged with the renewal of E-24, which saw the completion of the chassis and powerplant to factory specifications and the Murphy coachwork restored – reversing modifications that had taken place over the years, including rebuilding the original, squared roofline. Once complete, E-24 was entered on exhibit-only status in the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® in 1968. In 1986, General William Lyon purchased the Doble Coupe for his growing Southern California collection, but did not keep it for long. After a short stint with William Schutz of Los Angeles, the Murphy Coupe was acquired by Stan Lucas in 1987 – it was the third to join his growing group of Dobles.

Doble E-24 is a true standout, even among its rarefied brethren. Not only was it the personal car of Abner Doble, it endured years of globetrotting, and survived its vulnerable interim decades nearly completely intact, never suffering the many injustices inflicted upon aging exotic automobiles. Its striking original coachwork survives in place as well. Though it has not been operational for a number of years, E-24’s major components are present, and it is most deserving of being brought back to service, which is perhaps the best possible next chapter for Doble’s Doble.