Engine – Two-Cylinder Compound Steam Engine
Transmission – Two-Speed Manual Transaxle
Horsepower – 20 HP
Wheelbase – 104 inches
Fuel – Gasoline-Fired Boiler
Brakes – Hand- and Foot-Operated Rear Mechanical Drum Brakes
Production – 1,024 White automobiles produced in 1908; as few as twelve 1908 Whites known to survive

“The Incomparable White—The Car for Service”
The White automobile developed within the industrial environment of the White Sewing Machine Company in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded by Thomas H. White, the firm entered the automobile field from a position of established manufacturing capability rather than speculative enterprise, allowing experimentation with steam propulsion to occur under controlled conditions.

In the late 1890s, Thomas White acquired a steam automobile and found its boiler unreliable in regular use. His son, Rollin H. White, undertook the task of improving the design and developed a water-tube steam generator, later described as a semi-flash boiler. The system employed stacked coils that admitted water only when pumped and drew steam from the lowest coil nearest the heat source, enabling operation with superheated steam. Rollin White patented the design in 1900, establishing the mechanical foundation of the White steam automobile.

Following the development of the boiler, Rollin White was permitted to construct automobiles within a small portion of the sewing machine factory. His brothers, Windsor and Walter White, soon became involved, contributing managerial oversight and assisting with sales and distribution. The first group of automobiles was completed by October 1900, though public sale was delayed until April 1901 to allow for continued testing before the White name was formally applied to an automobile.

By 1901, White had produced 193 automobiles. That same year, four White steam cars were entered in the New York–to–Buffalo Endurance Run, where all four completed the event and received first-class certificates. As automobile production expanded, the motorcar operation was separated from the sewing machine business in 1905, allowing further growth as an independent enterprise.
White steam automobiles gained national visibility through both performance demonstrations and ceremonial use. In 1905, a White served as the sole motorcar in the inaugural parade of President Theodore Roosevelt. The marque’s reputation continued to strengthen through association with figures including John D. Rockefeller, Buffalo Bill Cody, and President William Howard Taft.,By 1908, White produced 1,024 automobiles, and contemporary sales literature claimed that there were “more White cars in use than any other make.”

The 1908 White Model L Touring survives as one of a small number of known White automobiles from that model year, with as few as twelve examples believed to exist to date. The Model L was marketed as White’s smaller touring car and was commonly referred to as the “lady’s car,” reflecting its comparatively smaller dimensions and 20-horsepower output. This Model L is fitted with Roi des Belges–style touring coachwork, distinguished by curved, tulip-inspired rear quarters and an open passenger compartment. The configuration was commonly used on higher-echelon touring automobiles of the early twentieth century.
Power is provided by a two-cylinder compound steam engine rated at 20 horsepower, with cylinder dimensions of 3 × 3½ inches and 5 × 3½ inches, coupled to a two-speed manual transaxle. The chassis employs front and rear solid axles with semi-elliptical leaf springs, with braking supplied by hand- and foot-operated rear mechanical drum brakes. The wheelbase measures 104 inches. As with White steam automobiles of the period, the boiler was fired by gasoline.

The Model L carried an original sales price of $2,500, equivalent to approximately $100,000 in 2026 dollars.
According to period accounts, this particular Model L was purchased new in 1908 and traded in to a Ford dealership in Texas in 1914, where it remained for many years. It was later acquired by Barney Pollard, who retained the car in largely static condition at the dealership. Following Pollard’s death, the car was purchased in the early 1980s by Weed Underwood of Burleson, Texas, who undertook the restoration of the automobile.

The White Model L Touring is eligible for both HCCA and AACA events, and remains suitable for continued preservation, exhibition, and touring use.