Durant

US, 1921 – 1932

Durant Motors Inc, New York, N.Y., Lansing, Mich.; Muncie, Ind.; Oakland, Calif.; Elizabeth, N.J.; Long Island City, N.Y.; Toronto and Leaside, Ont.; Syracause, N.Y.

The Durant was, with the Star, Eagle, flint, Princeton, Rugby and Locomobile, one of several makes comprising William C. Durant’s automobile empire. It was introduced as a 4-cylinder car and used its own ohv engine. The first Durant models in 1921 had disc or wooden spoke wheels and a five-seater Durant touring car cost $850. In 1922, the peak year of production, 55.000 Durant cars were sold, the figure failing to 39.000 in 1923 and fluctuating thereafter. The 4-cylinder Durant model remained basically the same through 1926 with various modifications added in keeping with the times. A Durant car with a 6-cylinder Ansted engine was built in 1922 and 1923 at the Muncie plant. In 1927 Durant suspended production, but started again in 1928 with a completely redesigned line of 4- and 6-cylinder cars which were continued in 1929. Another new line was brought out in 1930 by Durant and the 4-cylinder car was dropped. The 1930 range included two Durant sixes, with wire wheels as standard equipment for the larger of the two. The 1931 Durant models for sale were unchanged except for the engines which were Continentals. Sales had dropped severely, however; the 43.951 Durant cars sold in 1928 dropped to 20.261 in 1930. In 1931, only 7270 Durants were sold and early in 1932, the Durant firm went out of business. The Candian Durant cars were marketed under the name Frontenac form 1931 and were sold until 1933.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; KM

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Rugby

US, 1922 – 1928

Durant Motor Co of New Jersey, Elizabeth, N.J.; Lansing, Mich; Oakland, Calif.

William Crapo Durant’s Star Four was one of the most serious attempts to take away some of the Model T Ford’s market, for the cheapest practical car. It was sold outside the United States as the Rugby.Unlike the Ford, the Rugby car was an assembled machine. The Rugby car had a 2.2-litre, 4-cylinder engine by Continental, and was conventional in design in every way except the gearbox, which was separate; a feature common to all the vehicles in Durant’s empire, but very unusual in American mass-produced cars by the early 1920s. The touring Rugby car cost only $443 in 1923, which helped the Rugby car(or Star) to be the seventh biggest seller in America that year. In 1926, a 2.8-litre six-cylinder Rugby car was introduced. Front wheel brakes appeared on the Rugby car in 1927 but a year later the Rugby car make disappeared in the collapse of the Durant interests. By this time, 250 Rugby cars a day were being turned out. Only the Four was still called the Rugby car/ Star for the 1928 model year, as the Six was now known as the Durant Model 55.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; TRN

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com