Someday, perhaps, I will write the definitive history of the Durant Vehicles. For now, however, all I can offer is a time line, a bit of model information and a list of links to sites that have at least some mention of Durant and his cars….. Terry
Time line
1921
Product line: Durant.
- January 12 – Durant Motors is incorporated in New York. It would later be reincorporated in Delaware.
- March 1 – A prototype of the first car (A-22) had been designed, built and demonstrated.
- March – Durant buys the Long Island City, New York plant, a former Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company factory.
- April – Durant buys the Muncie, Indiana plant from General Motors. This is the plant that GM produced the Sheridan automobile.
- April – Durant Motors of Indiana is established.
- May – Durant Motors of Michigan is established
- Summer – Durant Motors of California is established
- Summer – Durant Motors of Canada is established.
- Reports vary some say availability of the new four-cylinder Durant (A-22) is in May others say it is available late fall of the year.
- By the end of 1921 Durant has established facilities in New York (Long Island City), New Jersey (Elizabeth), Indiana (Muncie), Michigan (Lansing), California (Oakland) and Canada (Leaside).
1922
Product Lines: Star, Durant.
- January – A new six-cylinder Durant, the B-22, is introduced. The car is built in the Sheridan plant (Muncie, Indiana) bought from GM, but the press reports that it is not the Sheridan.
- February 1 – The Locomobile Company is placed in receivership paving the way for Durant’s acquisition.
- February 15 – Star car is announced as a competitor to the Ford Model T.
- March 1 – First car built at Leaside, Canada plant
- March 8 – First Star car shown in Washington.
- June – Durant purchases the Willys-Overland Elizabeth, NJ plant. The purchase includes the pilot model of a car that became the Flint 6 (model E-55).
- July 28 – Durant is the sole bidder at a receivership sale of the Locomobile Company. The Locomobile Company of America Inc. is established.
- July – Flint Motor Car Company is established.
1923
Product Lines: Star, Durant, Rugby, Flint, Locomobile, Mason Motor Trucks
- January – The Princeton is announced and a prototype is displayed at the New York Automobile show. The car is to be built in the Muncie plant.
- The Mason Truck Company is established.
- June – Production of the Flint E-55 begins
- July – Sales of Rugby cars begin in Australia. An advertisement of the time explains that Durant was unable to use the Star name for cars sold in the British Empire as a company in Wolverhampton had the rights to the name.
- Summer – Durant announces the Princeton will be built at the Locomobile Bridgeport plant. The car is eventually produced under the Flint name rather than the Princeton name.
1924
Product Lines: Star, Durant, Rugby, Flint, Locomobile, Mason Motor Trucks
- March – the Flint H-40 is introduced.
1925
Product Lines: Star, Durant, Rugby, Flint, Locomobile, Mason Motor Trucks
1926
Product Lines: Star, Durant, Rugby, Flint, Locomobile, Mason Motor Trucks
- Six cylinder Star R is introduced.
- The Flint 60 is introduced
- The Flint 80 is introduced. The Flint 80 is based on the previous year’s Flint E-55.
- Summer – Durant sells the Flint Michigan factory, production of Flint cars continues at the Elizabeth factory.
1927
Product Lines: Star, Flint, Locomobile, Mason Motor Trucks
- A one-year break in Durant car production.
- Flint production ends.
- Mason Truck production ends.
1928
Product Lines: Durant, Rugby, Locomobile
- January – The Durant 55 is introduced. It is based on the previous year’s Star R, which is no longer produced.
- January – The Durant 65 is introduced.
- January – The Durant 75 is introduced.
- April – production of Star cars ceases. The popular four cylinder Star car (model M2) would be rebadged the Durant-Star (M-2)
- September 4 – Durant announces it will no longer sell trucks under the Durant name. Instead, trucks would be sold under the Rugby name.
- September – production of the Durant M-2 ends
- September – production of the Durant 55 ends.
- Late October – deliveries of the new Durant M-4 begins. The M-4 replaced the M-2 in the Durant lineup
- Late October – deliveries of the new Durant 60 begins. The 60 replaced the 55 in the Durant lineup
1929
Product Lines: Durant, Rugby
- January – Durant 60 gets a new larger engine.
- January – Durant 63 is introduced.
- January – Durant 66 is introduced.
- January – Durant 70 is introduced to replace the Durant 75
1930
Product Lines: Durant, Rugby
- January – Durant announces an entirely new line for 1930.
- January 4 – the Durant 614 is introduced
- The Durant 617 is introduced
- August – Durant announces a plan to manufacture and sell the French Mathis car in the USA.
- September – the Durant 610 is introduced
- October 7 – the Durant 612 is introduced.
- December 17 – the Oakland, California plant (Durant Motors of California) stops making Durant cars.
Product Lines: Durant, Rugby
1931
- January 3 – Durant Motors of California is renamed to De Vaux – Hall Motors Corp.
- January 3 – the De Vaux car is introduced.
- March 14 – Charter granted to Dominion Motors Ltd.
- April 1 – First De Vaux 6-75 rolls off the production line.
- May 4 – Durant Motors of Canada dissolved, replaced by Dominion Motors Ltd.
- May – the Durant 619 is introduced
- Late summer – all production of Durant vehicles at the Lansing plant had stopped.
- Late summer – an “improved” De Vaux 6-75 announced offering ‘free-wheeling” as standard equipment.
1932
Product Lines: Durant, Rugby
- January – the Durant 621 is introduced
- January – the Durant 622 is introduced
- January – the De Vaux 80 is announced.
- January 30 – Durant Motors files for bankruptcy.
- February 10 – De Vaux – Hall Motors Corp. files for bankruptcy.
- February 18 – Continental Motors Corp. purchases the De Vaux name and the Michigan assets of the De Vaux – Hall company.
- March – the Continental De Vaux Company is incorporated.
- April – the Continental-De Vaux model 80 is introduced.
1933
Product Lines: Durant, Rugby
- Durant Motors declares bankruptcy.
- December – Dominion Motors ceases production.
Where did the Makes fit in?
By the mid twenties Durant had a vision of a Durant motors with an offering in every price range. The following table shows where both actual and planned products were to fit.
| Make | Price | Competitor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Star | $ | Ford Model T | |
| Eagle | $$ | ||
| Durant | $$$ | Chevrolet | |
| Flint | $$$$ | Chrysler | |
| Princeton | $$$$$ | Packard | |
| Locomobile | $$$$$$ | ||
| Mason Road King Truck | Ford light trucks |
Year/Make/Model Chart
| Star | Durant | Rugby Trucks | Rugby (export vehicles) | Flint | Locomobile | Mason | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | A-22 | 48 | |||||
| 1922 | C | A-22, B-22 | 48 | ||||
| 1923 | C | A-22, B-22 | C | E-55, | 48 | ? | |
| 1924 | C, F | A-22, B-22 | C,F | E-55, H-40 | 48 | ? | |
| 1925 | F | A-22 | F | B-40, E-55, H-40 | 48, Junior Eight, Junior Six | ? | |
| 1926 | M, R | A-22 | M,R | B-60, E-80, Z-18 | 48, 90, Junior Eight | ? | |
| 1927 | M, R | M,R | B-60, E-80, Z-18 | 48, 90, Junior Eight | ? | ||
| 1928 | M | 55, 65, 75, M2, M4 | L,T | M | ? | ||
| 1929 | 40, 60, 63, 66, 70 | L, S-4, T, X, 401 | 40 | ||||
| 1930 | 407, 610, 612, 614, 617 | 614, 615, 616 | ? | ||||
| 1931 | 407, 612, 614, 618, 619 | S-4, 406,616 | ? | ||||
| 1932 | 621, 622 | 615 |
References
- [Baldwin et al]
- [DFR-DS] – V6#2, V7#3, V9#4, V10#1, V10#4, V11#1, V14#4, V18#3, V21#1
- [Georgano]
- [Godshall]
- [Weisberger]