1909 Stevens Duryea Model Y

J. Frank Duryea was an early pioneer of the horseless carriage and is widely recognized as the father of the American automobile industry. In September 1893, a successful journey in a car built with his brother Charles in Springfield, Massachusetts, led to the formation of the Duryea Motor Wagon Company. On a snowy Thanksgiving Day in 1895, Frank Duryea drove a single-cylinder, 4-horsepower Duryea Motor Wagon to victory in the Chicago Times Herald race in Chicago, the first automobile race on American soil. The brothers would also win the first running of Britain's infamous London to Brighton 'Emancipation Run' in 1896.

By 1898, the brothers had split following financial disagreements, and the partnership was dissolved. Frank founded a new company called Hampden Automobile and Launch (the word 'Hampden' was in reference to a nearby town). The Hampden prototype soon came to the notice of the J. Stevens Arms & Tool Company of nearby Chicopee Falls. An agreement was reached, the name of the car was changed to Stevens-Duryea, and production commenced in Chicopee Falls on a line of automobiles that would continue for the next 26 years.

Competing with the finest automobiles of the era, Stevens-Duryea advertisements touted, 'There Is No Better Motor Car.' They were solidly constructed, conservatively designed, and well-engineered.

Steven-Duryea's first automobile employed a five-horsepower, twin-cylinder, horizontal engine that was priced at $1,200. A total of sixty-one Steven-Duryea automobiles were produced in 1902, increasing to 483 the following year. By 1904, having undergone significant development, the model, now designated the 'Model L', featured a six horsepower horizontal twin engine mounted midship in a tubular chassis. It continued to use tiller steering but incorporated fully elliptic springing, wire wheels, and a three-speed-plus-reverse gearbox.

In 1905, a 20hp four-cylinder model was added to the lineup, and a 50hp shaft-driven six followed a year later. The company continued to move 'upmarket' with its line of high-quality and expensive motor cars, with most of the cira-100-cars-per-year receiving large touring or limousine coachwork.

Following financial problems in 1915, the Stevens-Duryea plant was sold to the New England Westinghouse Company which used the facility for war work. When World War I came to a close, several former employees bought the name, rights, and goodwill, and restarted production in 1919 of the six-cylinder 46 hp Model D, now designated Model E. Priced at $9,500 for the Sedan and Vstibule Limousine body styles, the Stevens-Duryea was one of the most expensive automobiles of its era. Production limped along for a few more years, undergoing various changes of ownership and reorganization, before finally closing its doors in 1927.

The 1909 Stevens-Duryea

Stevens-Duryea offered three four-cylinder models and three six-cylinder models in 1909. The Model R was a five-passenger tourer built on a 90-inch wheelbase, powered by a four-cylinder 20-horsepower engine, and priced at $3,300. The Model XXX three-passenger Runabout listed at $2,850 and had a 109-inch wheelbase and a four-cylinder, 24-horsepower engine. The Model X, also powered by a 24 horsepower engine, resided on a 124-inch wheelbase and could be purchased at a five-passenger tourer ($2,750) or a seven-passenger limousine ($3,850).

The Model U was a six-cylinder, 35-horsepower model with a 114-inch wheelbase and priced at $3,400 for the Tourer and $4,500 for the Limousine. The Model S six-cylinder, 50 horsepower model had a 122-inch wheelbase and was priced at $6,000 with seven-passenger touring coachwork.

The Model Y had a generous 142-inch wheelbase and was suspended by a live axle with semi-elliptical springs. Its 9.6-liter six-cylinder engine had a three-pont engine support and delivered 40 horsepower. With seven-passenger touring coachwork, the Model Y was priced at $4,000.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2023