A Brief History of Durant Vehicles

• Time line
• Where the Different Makes fit in
• Year/Make/Model Production Chart
• Other Links

Time line

1921

• 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

• 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

• 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

• March - the Flint H-40 is introduced.

1925

1926

• 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

• A one-year break in Durant car production.
• Flint production ends.
• Mason Truck production ends.

1928

• 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

• 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

• 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.

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

• 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

.
• Durant Motors declares bankruptcy.
• December - Dominion Motors ceases production.

Where did the Makes fit in?

Year/Make/Model Chart

Historical Links

• Flint Timeline project - Flint Motor Company
• Flint Timeline Project - William "Billy"Crapo Durant
• crapo.org - William Crapo Durant
• Detroit News - The free-wheeling gambler who created conservative General Motors
• Detroit News - Sloan Museum traces Flint's rich automotive history West of Lazamie - A brief history of the auto industry about.com - The Locomobile - America's Most Expensive Car

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]