thumb|250x250px|1910 Stevens-Duryea Plant
thumb|250x250px|1910 Stevens-Duryea Plant
thumb|250x250px|1910 Stevens-Duryea Partner Plant from Stevens Arms and Tool Company
Stevens-Duryea was an American manufacturer of Veteran and Brass Era automobiles in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, between 1901 and 1915 and Vintage Cars from 1919 to 1927.
The company was founded by J. Frank Duryea and J. Stevens Arms and Tool Company, in 1901 to build cars to Frank Duryea's design. First appearing as a two-cylinder runabout, the cars entered the luxury market with four-cylinder engines and pioneered the development of six-cylinder cars. Known for quality and craftsmanship, the company voluntarily closed in 1915 during a weak economic market. The rights and engineering for the Stevens-Duryea were acquired by a new company in 1919 and resumed car production on a limited scale until 1927.
History
Hampden Automobile & Launch Company
thumb|260x260px|1901 Hampden Phaeton described as 1902 Stevens-Duryea in Automobile Topics
After departing from the Duryea Motor Wagon Company in July 1898, J. Frank Duryea was hired to build a car for the American Automobile Company of New York. When this company appeared to be more interested in stock promotion than building cars, Frank Duryea returned to Springfield (Hampden County) in 1900 and set-up an engineering company with his chief mechanic, John S. Jones and draughtsman William M. Remington. The Hampden Automobile & Launch Company built one launch and three prototype cars. Built in a small shop, the company looked for a partner to begin manufacturing and found J. Stevens Arms and Tool Company with spare manufacturing space and funds.
J. Stevens Arms and Tool Company
thumb|250x250px|1904 Stevens-Duryea Model L Stanhope Runabout
A contract to manufacture cars called Stevens-Duryea was signed in August 1901. Stevens Arms had recently purchased the factory of Victor Steam and bicycle maker Overman, and Stevens-Duryea shared the premises for several months. The first Stevens-Duryea was identical to the car developed by Hampden Automobile & Launch and the first 50 cars were planned to be built by March 1902. Stevens-Duryea would participate in Reliability Trials, hill climbs and some motorsports, and joined A.L.A.M. and participated in the major motor shows. with an aluminum-bodied, five-seat touring car, priced at $2,500 (), Stevens-Duryea enter the luxury car market where they would remain. Frank Duryea developed a multi-disc clutch and built his transmission in-unit with the motor. Using 3-point support for the unit engine and transmission, would be advertised for all future models.
For 1906 the new Model S Big Six was introduced with a huge 9.6 liter six-cylinder motor, seven-seat tulipwood and aluminum body, weighing 2,900-lbs (1315-kg) and priced at $5,000, . Introduced at the January 1906 New York Motor Show, it along with Franklin, was one of two six-cylinder American cars shown. National and Frayer-Miller also introduced six-cylinder cars in 1906. Dating their six-cylinder car from 1905 when it was tested, Stevens-Duryea would advertise their cars as the Pioneer Builder of American Sixes. a six-cylinder (Little Six) of 30/35-hp and priced more competitively at $3,500, . The Model U became very popular selling into 1910 when it was replaced with the Model AA (Light Six). The Model R was offered until a new four-cylinder, the 1909 Model X and Model XXX runabout was introduced. The model X was rated at 24-hp with prices starting at $2,750.
In 1909 Frank Duryea at the age of 40, on doctor's advice, retired from daily work with Stevens-Duryea due to 20 years over-work and job related stress.
In 1913, Stevens-Duryea introduced the Model C-Six on two wheelbases and standardized on a one model policy. The C-Six engine was rated at 44.6-hp and was priced at $4,500 as a touring car, ranging up to $5,950 () as a 7 passenger Berline. Production dropped from 1,500 cars in 1912 to 1,000 in 1913, but was more profitable for the company. J. Frank Duryea was now the majority shareholder and turned down financial investments that were conditional on adding a lower priced line of cars. He did not feel Chicopee was a good location for volume production and was not interested in lowering his manufacturing standards. 1920 saw production restarted of the Model D as the Model E with some improvements, post-war inflationary priced at $8,000 for a touring car and up to $9,500 () for a limousine. A new model Stevens-Duryea was announced, the Model G that was basically the same as the Model E. After only 28 cars were sold in 1924, manufacture of the Model G continued on an as orders received basis until production ended in 1927.
|2
|7
|69/175
|Runabout 2-seater and 4-seater
|-
|1905-1909
|Model R
|4
|20
|90/229
|Touring car 5-seater, Limousine 5-seater
|-
|1906-1909
|Model S
Big Six
|6
|50
|122/310
|Touring car 7-seater
|-
|1907-1909
|Model U
Little Six
|6
|30/35
|114/290
|Touring car 5-seater, sedan 5-seater
|-
|1909-1912
|Model X
|4
|36.1
|124/315
|Touring car 5-seater, sedan 7-seater, roadster, fore-door touring car
|-
|1909-1910
|Model XXX
|4
|24/36.1
|109/277
|3-seater runabout, 4-seater baby tonneau
|-
|1909-1912
|Model Y
|6
|40/54.1
|142/363
|Touring Car 7 Seater, Fore-Door Touring Car, Sedan
|-
|1910-1912
|Model AA
|6
|43/43.8
|128/325
|5-seater and 7-seater touring car, 5-seater torpedo, 7-seater limousine, 7-seater landaulet, 4-seater roadster, 2-seater runabout
|-
|1913-1914
|Model C Six
|6
|44.6/44.8
|131/333
138/351
|Touring car 5-seater, Roadster, Coupelet 2-seater, Convertible Phaeton 5-seater, Demi-Berline 5-seater, Limousine 7-seater, Landau Phaeton 5-seater
|-
|1915
|Model D Six
|6
|46
|131/333
|7-seater sedan, 5-seater touring car, 3-seater roadster, 5-seater Landau Phaeton, Demi-Berline
|-
|1915
|Model DD Six
|6
|47.2
|138/351
|7-seater touring car, 7-seater Landau Phaeton, 7-seater sedan, 7-seater landaulet
|-
|1920-1923
|Model E
|6
|80
|138/351
|4 Seater & 7 Seater Touring Car, 7 Seater Vestibule Sedan, 7 Seater Three-Quarter Sedan, 4 Seater Sedan, Close-Coupled Sport Touring Car, Convertible, Town Brougham, Roadster, Coupe
|-
|1924-1927
|Model G
|6
|80
|138/351
|7-seater touring car, 4-seater sports touring car, 2-seater roadster, 4-seater coupe, 4-seater and 6-seater sedan, 6-seater and 7-seater vestibule sedan, open drive sedan, Town Brougham, convertible
|}
Production
A total of over 14,000 passenger cars were built.