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  • Introduction
  • The Basics
    • A Brief History of Durant Vehicles
    • Vehicle Identification
  • Catalogs
    • The Durant Catalog
    • The Star Catalog
    • The Rugby Catalog
    • The Flint Catalog
    • The Locomobile Catalog
    • The Mason Truck Catalog
    • The Eagle Catalog
    • The Princeton Catalog
    • The Mathis Catalog
    • The DeVaux Catalog
    • The Continental Catalog
    • The Frontenac Catalog
  • Literature Guides
    • Durant Literature Guide
    • Star Literature Guide
    • Rugby Literature Guide
    • Flint Literature Guide
    • Locomobile Literature Guide
    • Mason Motor Truck Literature Guide
    • Eagle Literature Guide
    • Princeton Literature Guide
    • Mathis Literature Guide
    • De Vaux Literature Guide
    • Continental Literature Guide
    • Frontenac Literature Guide
    • Miscellaneous Suppliers Literature Guide
  • The Registries
    • The Durant Registry
    • The Star Registry
    • The Rugby Registry
    • The Flint Registry
    • The Locomobile Registry
    • The DeVaux Registry
    • The Continental Registry
    • The Frontenac Registry
  • Collector’s Corner
    • Dealer Signs
  • Bibliography

A Brief History of Durant Vehicles

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
  • Where the Different Makes fit in
  • Year/Make/Model Production Chart

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.

MakePriceCompetitorNotes
Star$Ford Model T 
Eagle$$  
Durant$$$Chevrolet 
Flint$$$$Chrysler 
Princeton$$$$$Packard 
Locomobile$$$$$$  
Mason Road King Truck Ford light trucks 

Year/Make/Model Chart

 StarDurantRugby TrucksRugby (export vehicles)FlintLocomobileMason
1921 A-22   48 
1922CA-22, B-22   48 
1923CA-22, B-22 CE-55,48?
1924C, FA-22, B-22 C,FE-55, H-4048?
1925FA-22 FB-40, E-55, H-4048, Junior Eight, Junior Six?
1926M, RA-22 M,RB-60, E-80, Z-1848, 90, Junior Eight?
1927M, R  M,RB-60, E-80, Z-1848, 90, Junior Eight?
1928M55, 65, 75, M2, M4L,TM ? 
1929 40, 60, 63, 66, 70L, S-4, T, X, 40140   
1930 407, 610, 612, 614, 617614, 615, 616?   
1931 407, 612, 614, 618, 619S-4, 406,616?   
1932 621, 622615    

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]

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