Duryea (make of car)

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Duryea from 1894
Duryea at the Times-Herald Contest 1895
Duryea from 1895
Duryea Trap from 1899
Duryea as Surrey from 1903

Duryea was an American automobile brand. It is considered to be the oldest in the country.

Brand history

Charles E. Duryea and James Frank Duryea were brothers. You started developing an automobile in Springfield , Massachusetts in the 1890s . The first vehicle was ready to drive on September 21, 1893. In January 1894, it successfully covered a distance of almost 10 kilometers. Some prototypes followed, which were also used successfully at events.

In September 1895, the brothers jointly founded the Duryea Motor Wagon Company in the same town. Charles stayed mostly in Peoria , Illinois . From the spring of 1896, Frank manufactured vehicles that were marketed as Duryea . In 1898 the company was dissolved. The brothers separated. Frank then founded the Hampden Automobile & Launch Company to manufacture Hampden brand vehicles.

Charles founded the Duryea Manufacturing Company in Peoria in February 1898 . He produced around 20 vehicles up to around 1899.

Charles then moved to Reading , Pennsylvania and founded the Duryea Power Company in 1899 . Another source gives March 1900 as the month of foundation. In autumn 1907 the bankruptcy followed . This company produced around 300 or around 370 vehicles, depending on the source. The licensees were the Waterloo Gas Engine Company from Waterloo , Construction Liégeoise Automobile from Belgium and Sturmey Motors from Coventry .

Charles founded the Duryea Motor Company in the same town in 1908 . He developed a new model. Production ran until 1913.

In 1911 Charles had also founded the Duryea Automobile Company in Saginaw , Michigan . Later the name was presumably changed to Duryea Motor Company . In 1912 the Brooks Manufacturing Company was taken over. Production ended in January 1914.

Between 1914 and 1915, the Cresson-Morris Company of Philadelphia , Pennsylvania manufactured a few more vehicles as Duryea that Charles had designed. This then became the Crowther Motor Company .

In 1915 came the end of the sole brand name Duryea. The Duryea Tricycle Company with the brand name Duryea Gem should be considered separately.

According to a source, a total of 716 vehicles of the Duryea brand were built .

vehicles

The vehicle from 1893 had a single cylinder engine that was mounted horizontally. It developed 4 hp from a capacity of 1302 cm³ and powered the rear axle via belts. The frame and superstructure came from a carriage that had been bought second-hand.

A vehicle with a two-stroke engine followed in 1894 , later converted to a four-stroke engine . The belt drive was abandoned. The transmission had three forward and one reverse gears. Pneumatic tires are mentioned as a great advantage over the first vehicle . This vehicle won the Times-Herald Contest in Chicago in 1895 and was nicknamed the Chicago car .

Another vehicle, known as the Cosmopolitan car , followed in 1895 or early 1896 . Because it took part in the race of the magazine Cosmopolitan from New York City to Irvington and was the only vehicle to reach the destination. The engine was smaller, but more powerful. The power transmission was again via belts. This vehicle formed the basis for the first series vehicles.

The first 13 production vehicles from Springfield still had belt drives, the following no longer. There was still a lot of experimentation. Wire spoke wheels were introduced. Superstructures as dos-à-dos with space for four people who could sit back to back were added. Two vehicles took part in the Emancipation Run in England in 1896 , which later became the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run .

Tricycles with front single wheels, called traps , came from Peoria . A three-cylinder engine from the EB Hazen Machine Shop drove the rear axle via a chain. The open body was two-seater. A single-axle trailer provided space for two more people.

Construction of the tricycles continued in Reading. The chassis had a wheelbase of 168 cm . Four-wheeled models followed in 1902. Engines with a capacity of 3516 cm³ and an output of 15 hp have been handed down. In 1906 a 25/30 hp model was added. Was steered with a steering lever. There is an indication that the engines were mounted in the rear and powered the rear axle via a two-speed gearbox and a chain. In addition to open two and four-seater vehicles, a closed body was also offered.

In 1908 the Buggyaut followed as a new model. This was a high wheeler with solid rubber tires . The vehicles were powered by a two-cylinder two- stroke engine with an output of 15 hp. The steering lever was retained.

From 1911 the Electa came from Saginaw. It was based on the Buggyaut , had the same engine, but was a little more luxurious.

The vehicles from 1914 to 1815 were referred to as cycle cars , although they did not meet the criteria. They had a two-cylinder engine with a 95.25 mm bore , 95.25 mm stroke , 1357 cm³ displacement and 11 or 19 hp, depending on the source. The wheelbase was 254 cm. The roadster offered space for two people side by side. The curb weight was given as 272 kg.

Model overview

Below is an overview of the models from 1900 onwards. As the information comes from a different source, slight deviations from the text above are possible.

year model cylinder Power ( hp ) Wheelbase (cm) construction
1900-1901 tricycle 3 6th 168 Dos-à-dos Trap, Surrey , Phaeton
1902 tricycle 3 6/10 168 Dos-à-dos Trap, Surrey, Phaeton
1903 tricycle 3 10 168 Phaeton
1903 Four wheel 3 10 168 Phaeton
1903 3 10 168 Rumble Phaeton, Folding Front Phaeton, Enclosed Phaeton
1903 3 10 244 7 seater tonneau , Surrey
1904 tricycle 3 15th 183 Phaeton 2-seater
1904 3 15th 183 Folding Rear Phaeton 4-seater, Enclosed Doctor's Phaeton, Surrey 5-seater, Folding Front Phaeton 4-seater, Straight-Line Phaeton 4-seater, Park Wagon, Tonneau 4-seater, small and large delivery vans
1905 tricycle 3 12/15 191 Phaeton 2-seater
1905 Four wheel 3 12/15 191 Phaeton 2-seater
1905 3 12/15 198 Folding Seat Phaeton
1906 tricycle 3 12/15 206 Phaeton
1906 3 12/15 198 Folding Rear Phaeton, Doctor's Phaeton, Light Stage Coach
1906 3 12/15 244 Delivery van, touring car 5-seater
1906 25/30 HP 3 25/30 269 Double Victoria 5-seater
1907 3 15/18 191 Doctor's Phaeton
1907 3 15/18 203 Folding Rear Seat Phaeton
1907 25/30 HP 3 25/30 259 4-seater touring car
1908 3 15th 203 Folding Rear Phaeton, Doctor's Phaeton
1908 Buggy skin 2 10/12 213
1909 Buggy skin 2 15th 213 Single seater, folding rear seat
1910 Buggy skin 2 12/15 213 Single seater, folding rear seat
1910 Electa 2 12/15 213 Victoria
1911 Buggy skin 2 12/15 213 Single seater, Surrey
1911 Buggy skin 2 12/15 254 Runabout
1911 Electa 2 12/15 213 Surrey
1912 Buggy skin 2 12/15 213 Single seater, Surrey
1912 Buggy skin 2 12/15 254 Runabout
1912 Electa 2 12/15 203 Surrey
1913 Buggy skin 2 12/15 234 Single seater, Surrey
1913 Buggy skin 2 12/15 254 Runabout
1913 Electa 2 12/15 203 Victoria
1914 Buggy skin 2 19th 218 Single seater
1914 Buggy skin 2 19th 244 Surrey
1914-1915 Cyclecar 2 19th 254 Roadster

Production numbers

year Production number
1893 1
1894 2
1895 2
1896 13
1897 6th
1898 12
1899 12
1900 28
1901 33
1902 37
1903 47
1904 53
1905 50
1906 41
1907 83
1908 71
1909 62
1910 51
1911 29
1912 23
1913 31
1914 16
1915 13
total 716

Source:

literature

  • Beverly Rae Kimes, Henry Austin Clark Jr .: Standard catalog of American Cars. 1805-1942. Digital edition . 3. Edition. Krause Publications, Iola 2013, ISBN 978-1-4402-3778-2 , pp. 506-509 (English).
  • George Nick Georgano (Editor-in-Chief): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Volume 1: A – F. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , pp. 471-472 (English).

Web links

Commons : Duryea  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Beverly Rae Kimes, Henry Austin Clark Jr .: Standard catalog of American Cars. 1805-1942. Digital edition . 3. Edition. Krause Publications, Iola 2013, ISBN 978-1-4402-3778-2 , pp. 506-509 (English).
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r George Nick Georgano (Editor-in-Chief): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , pp. 471-472 (English).