Body Styles
Like other makers of the time, Durant offered its cars in a large number of body styles. Use this chart, together with the fact sheet for your model, to narrow down your car’s body style.
Styles: Coach or Brougham · Cabriolet · Coupe or Coupster · Landau or Landau Sedan · Runabout or Roadster · Sedan · Station Wagon · Touring or Phaeton
Coach or brougham
A two-door, five-passenger car. At first it was called a coach; in later years it was called a brougham. See examples of cars with these in the registry.
Cabriolet
A two-passenger car that, depending on the model and year, was offered with either a hard top or a folding top. See examples of cars with these in the registry.
Coupe or coupster
A hard-top, two-passenger car, sometimes offered with an optional rumble seat. See examples of cars with these in the registry.
Landau or landau sedan
Essentially a four-door sedan, with oval side windows at the rear. See examples of cars with these in the registry.
Runabout or roadster
A two-passenger car with a folding top. It was sometimes offered with a rumble seat, which raised capacity to four or five passengers. Roadster is the most common term; runabout was used in the very early years. See examples of cars with these in the registry.
Sedan
The most basic style: almost every model was available as a sedan. Sedans were usually five-passenger cars, with seven-passenger sedans offered for some years and models. See examples of cars with these in the registry.
Station wagon
Perhaps the most famous Star body style: the original “woody” wagon. See examples of cars with these in the registry.
Touring or phaeton
Until about 1928, a five-passenger car with a folding top was called a “touring” or “touring car.” In 1929 the term changed to phaeton. These cars were sometimes available with an optional “winter top” that turned the car into a hard top. See examples of cars with these in the registry.
Hayes body numbers
Many De Vaux, Continental, and Frontenac cars of 1931–34 had bodies built by the Hayes Body Corporation. The Hayes body tag carries a three-digit prefix, which depends on the body style (and, on the Ace, the country), followed by the body’s own number (for example 191-1262). A dash (—) means no number is known yet.
| Car | Body style | Hayes number |
|---|---|---|
| 1931 De Vaux 6-75 | Standard Coupe | 151- |
| Standard Sedan | — | |
| Sport Coupe | 152- | |
| Sport Sedan | 150- (158- also reported) | |
| De Luxe Coupe | 153- | |
| De Luxe Sedan | — | |
| Custom Coupe | 151- (153- on four known cars) | |
| Custom Sedan | 154- | |
| 1932 De Vaux 6-80 | Standard Coupe | — |
| Standard Sedan | 166- | |
| Custom Coupe | — | |
| Custom Sedan | 170- | |
| Custom Convertible Coupe | 168- | |
| 1933 Continental Beacon (Standard and De Luxe) | Five Passenger Four Door Sedan | 185- |
| Five Passenger Two Door Sedan | 188- | |
| Commercial Coupe | 189- | |
| Two Passenger Roadster | Shown in brochures, not produced | |
| 1933 Continental Flyer | Five Passenger Four Door Sedan | 185- |
| Five Passenger Two Door Sedan | 188- | |
| Commercial Coupe | 189- | |
| Two Passenger Roadster | Shown in brochures, not produced | |
| 1933 Continental Ace (model 81) | Four Door Sedan (Standard and De Luxe) | 181- |
| Standard Coupe (with rumble seat) | — | |
| 1933 Frontenac Ace (model 91) | Four Door Sedan (Standard and De Luxe) | 191- |
| Standard Coupe (with rumble seat) | — | |
| 1934 Continental Beacon (Red Seal Four) | Five Passenger Four Door Sedan | 185- |
| Five Passenger Two Door Sedan | 188- | |
| Two Passenger Coupe | 189- | |
| De Luxe Coupe (with rumble seat) | — | |
| 1933 Frontenac C-400 and C-600 | All body styles | No Hayes tag; body number stamped on the firewall |
Other cars with Hayes bodies, for comparison:
| Car | Hayes number |
|---|---|
| 1927 Reo Brougham | 58- |
| 1932 Reo coupe (with rumble seat) | 163- |
| 1937 DE-VO (C-400 engine, car number 1001) | 185-3701 |
No Hayes numbers are known yet for the 1932 Frontenac 6-85. On the 1932 Durant 633, the only surviving tag (on coupe 1001) shows model S with number 651; coupe 1006 has lost its tag. If your car has a Hayes body tag, please send us its number.