Exhibits | Collections - DURYEA: America's First Car Company (2024)

FAQs

What happened to Duryea Motor Company? ›

In 1915 Frank Duryea left the company over a conflict dealing with the types of cars that were to be built. In 1922 the company was reorganized and the name was changed to Stevens-Duryea Motors Inc. In 1927, production of the Stevens-Duryea automobiles ceased altogether.

Founded by Charles Duryea and his brother Frank, the company built the Duryea Motor Wagon, a one-cylinder four-horsepower car, first demonstrated on September 21, 1893, in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Taylor Street in Metro Center. It is considered the first successful gas-engine vehicle built in the U.S.

In 1896, Frank, his brother Charles, and financial backers founded the Duryea Motor Wagon Company, the first American company that manufactured and sold automobiles. Thirteen production models were made; the only surviving example is in the collection of the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

Duryea and J. Frank Duryea were born in Canton, Ill., and Washburn, Ill., respectively. In 1893, the Duryea brothers built the first successful gasoline-powered automobile in the United States. An improved version, driven by Frank Duryea, in 1895 won the first auto race in Chicago, Ill.

Buick was founded in December of 1899 by the Scottish-born American inventor David Dunbar Buick. Thanks to the dissolution of Oldsmobile in 2004, it now stands as the current oldest surviving American carmaker.

The event, held November 28, was the first official auto race in the United States. Frank J. Duryea sits at the tiller of the horseless carriage he designed, built, and drove to victory in the 1895 Chicago Times-Herald race.

Their 1895 Motor Wagon won the now legendary Chicago Times-Herald Race, completing the 54-mile round trip from Chicago to Evanston, Illinois with a winning time of 10 hours and 23 minutes.

To construct the first Duryea Motor Wagon, the brothers had purchased a used horse-drawn buggy for $70 and then installed a 4-horsepower (3.0 kW; 4.1 PS), single cylinder gasoline engine. The car had a friction transmission, spray carburetor, and low tension ignition.

DURYEA: America's First Car Company.

Duryea Origin and Meaning

The name Duryea is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "from the stream".

Did Duryea brothers build the first practical American car? ›

Most authorities credit Charles E. Duryea and J. Frank Duryea with creating the first successful American gasoline-powered automobile, in 1892–93. The concept of the car apparently originated with Charles, and the machine was built by Frank.

Stevens-Duryea production began toward the end of 1901.

Though purchased in the early 1920s by a syndicate headed by Ray M. Owen of Owen Magnetic, the company continued to build the same cars in tiny quantities as orders were received. Orders ceased around 1927 and so did the Stevens-Duryea.

It operates manufacturing and assembly plants and distribution centres throughout the United States, Canada, and many other countries. The company's major products include automobiles and trucks, automotive components, and engines, and it is also engaged in financial services. GM's headquarters are in Detroit.