The final word in American steam car development, the Series E was the bold culmination of Abner Doble’s vision – a marvel of silent, effortless performance and technical sophistication that eclipsed its internal combustion contemporaries. Among the most compelling survivors of this short but brilliant chapter in automotive history is this remarkable Doble, chassis E-23, the last Series E completed at the Emeryville, California factory and one of the most significant Dobles ever built.

Completed on October 26, 1925, E-23 was bodied by the Walter M. Murphy Company as a four-passenger Phaeton. Originally ordered by the Maharaja of Alwar, likely familiar with the Doble E-16 delivered to the Maharaja of Bharatpur, E-23 was destined for royal use in India. However, the order was canceled, and the car was momentarily without a buyer – until fate intervened.

Around the same time, William and George Besler, prominent industrialists and owners of Davenport and Porter Locomotive Works, visited the Doble factory to investigate steam generator technology for possible use in their locomotive operations. While touring the Doble factory, Bill Besler spotted E-23 on the shop floor and immediately inquired about it. Told it had just become available, he promptly wrote a check for $16,500, acquiring what would become his personal steam car for the next four decades.

Under Besler’s direction, E-23 underwent a series of substantial upgrades. The frame was lengthened to a 151” wheelbase, and it received a new, oversized F-Series steam generator, an advanced draft booster, a foot throttle, a larger condenser, and four-wheel Bendix mechanical brakes. A heavy-duty Timken front axle was also fitted, improving the car’s roadholding and load-carrying abilities.

Besler sent E-23 back to Murphy in Pasadena for a full stylistic modernization. The body was updated with widened doors, the decorative beading was removed, the windshield was lowered, and a fixed, padded California Top replaced the original folding unit. Drum-style headlamps were swapped for streamlined C.M. Hall elliptical units, bringing the car visually in line with late 1920s tastes.

With both mechanical and cosmetic enhancements complete, E-23 became a daily driver and testbed for Besler, who reportedly drove it across the US at least five times. As he worked to gain control of Doble Steam Motors in the 1930s, he continued to develop the car, improving the fuel system and adding sealed-beam headlamps, crowned fenders, and triangular rear-quarter windows.

According to Besler family lore, E-23 was even shipped to Europe, where Besler sought to license steam technologies to German locomotive firms. It is said he encountered Hermann Goering during this trip, who expressed interest in the Doble’s ability to burn alternative fuels.

Following WWII, E-23 remained in Besler’s possession and was shown occasionally at local steam meets. In the 1960s, he lent the car to Harrah’s Automobile Collection to assist in the restoration of E-24, Abner Doble’s personal coupe. During testing around Reno, Nevada, E-23 reportedly achieved triple-digit speeds, confirming its legendary performance.

By the late 1960s, with steam cars fading into history, Besler sold E-23 to Harrah’s, where it was carefully restored to near-original condition, including refitting the correct Haverhill headlamps, flat fenders, and other key details. It remained on display in Harrah’s Museum until the legendary 1986 dispersal auction, when it was purchased by noted steam enthusiast Stan Lucas.

From 1994 to 1997, E-23 underwent an extensive restoration by Doble authority Jim Crank, and was twice exhibited at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, both times entered for exhibition only. The restoration quality is apparent in every detail, from its subtle brown livery to the preserved fitted luggage in the trunk.

Though the car has not run in several years and will require recommissioning, it remains among the most complete, correct, and storied Doble steam cars in existence. Crank, in his definitive book The Doble Steam Car, writes that “although I grew up with Barney Becker and his E-14, it was Besler’s Phaeton that I absolutely lusted for…E-23 is calm and refined in its way of going, yet ready to show its power when asked, reflecting its maturity as a man of the world. It was the curious character of this one Doble that endeared it to me, this iron fist in the velvet glove feeling it offers.”

With just three owners from new – Besler, Harrah, and Lucas – this car represents an unbroken legacy of steam innovation and historic preservation. As the final Doble E built in Emeryville, E-23 holds a place of unmatched historical and technical significance. It is sure to be the crown jewel in any serious collection devoted to American engineering brilliance.