Charles and Frank Duryea are widely considered the Wright brothers of the American automotive industry. Through trial and error, reportedly using only books borrowed from the Springfield, Massachusetts Public Library, the two developed the first gasoline-powered automobile in American history in 1893. Together they formed the Duryea Motor Wagon Company, the first American automobile manufacturer. Driving a single-cylinder, 4-horsepower Duryea Motor Wagon on a snowy Thanksgiving Day in 1895, Frank Duryea won the Chicago Times Herald race in Chicago, the first automobile race on American soil. The brothers monetized their racing publicity and continued their efforts, winning the first running of Britain’s now iconic London to Brighton Veteran’s Car Race in 1896.
Financial disagreements caused the brothers to dissolve their partnership in 1898 with Frank going on to found a new company, Hampden Automobile and Launch. Frank Duryea’s Hampden prototype came to the notice of the J. Stevens Arms & Tool Company in nearby Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. The name of the car was changed to Stevens-Duryea and for the next 26 years Chicopee Falls would see production of some of the finest automobiles of the Brass Era. Their cars were designed and priced on par with Packard, Pierce-Arrow, and other iconic American luxury names of the day. Stevens-Duryea advertisements touted, “There Is No Better Motor Car.”
The Stevens-Duryea was conservatively designed and engineered but beautifully and solidly constructed. By 1913, the line incorporated two lengths of wheelbase, 131 inches and 138 inches, each with a 45-horsepower, six-cylinder engine fitted with dual ignition, a three-speed transmission, and shaft drive. The Model C-Six, as it was known, could move along the nation’s growing roads with considerable power, speed, and reliability.
Only nine Model C-Sixes are known to survive, seven of which are said to be mounted on the “short” 131-inch wheelbase chassis. They figure into some of the world’s greatest Brass Era collections and are treasured by those who enjoy long drives on Horseless Carriage Club of America events and the Glidden Tour.
Story by RM Sotheby’s
1913 Stevens-Duryea Model C-Six Five-Passenger Touring | Image Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Keyword: 1913 Stevens-Duryea Model C-Six Five-Passenger Touring