Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 8, 2021
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
With a brand like Stevens-Duryea, you tend to picture large touring cars dating back to before World War I. But quite a few of these companies survived the war and continued building cars into the 1920s. Yet for some reason, these later cars are much more rarely seen. There are various reasons for this.
In the case of Stevens-Duryea, it’s that a new owner bought the brand name in 1919 and set up shop in the old factory. Things just… never took off. The company built only 200 cars in 1920, and the Model E was carried over for ’21. The same 80-horsepower inline-six would continue to power the brand’s offerings until the lights went out in 1927.
This Roadster has been restored and exudes an up-scale aura missing from what you’d get from a contemporary Buick, etc. The pre-sale estimate is $75,000-$90,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by Worldwide Auctioneers | Pacific Grove, California | August 15, 2019
Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers
Stevens-Duryea was founded in 1901 when J. Frank Duryea got pissed off at his brother and left their joint company to work elsewhere. He designed a car and convinced The J. Stevens Arms and Tool Company to build it. They continued to offer very expensive cars through 1927.
This Model X, which is listed as a 1908 but was first purchased in 1911, was from the heydey of Stevens-Duryea. The Model X was produced from 1909 through 1912. Power is from a 36 horsepower, L-head four-cylinder engine. The car is wonderful, especially if you start looking at the details. And it’s all-original apart from a 1950s repaint.
But the big story here is the car’s history. It was retained by its first owner for many years before being willed to Henry Austin Clark Jr. in the 1950s. Clark kept it in his museum and used it on tours (of which video exists on YouTube). It’s currently on only its fourth owner. No pre-sale estimate is provided, but it failed to sell on BringaTrailer for $125,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
1904 Peerless Type 8 Style K King of Belgium Touring by Quinby
Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 7, 2019
Photo – Bonhams
Peerless was one of the finest American motor cars you could buy before WWII. And their obsession with quality started early, even if these early cars were a little more innovative than their later creations.
The Type 8 was one of three models you could buy from the company in 1904. This car carries “King of Belgium” coachwork from the J.M. Quinby Company of Newark, New Jersey, and power is from 24 horsepower inline-four.
This car has been in collector hands since the 1950s and was first restored in the 60s. It’s the type of car you only ever see in museums. But it can be yours – for between $400,000-$480,000. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $698,000.
1904 Thomas Flyer Model 22 Rear-Entrance Tonneau
Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 7, 2019
Photo – Bonhams
The first Thomas cars were sold in 1903, but the 1904 Flyer would be the car that would take the company to great heights before they ultimately went out of business in 1918. In 1904, the Flyer was the company’s first multi-cylinder automobile: a 24 horsepower, 4.3-liter inline-three.
This car is being sold from the estate of Harold Coker, who owned quite a few Thomas Flyers. It is said that this is the only Model 22 Flyer remaining, making it the earliest such example of the legendary name that won the famed New York to Paris race in 1908. It should bring between $400,000-$500,000. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $489,000.
1906 Stevens-Duryea Model U Five-Passenger Touring
Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 7, 2019
Photo – Bonhams
After the Duryea brothers parted ways, Frank teamed up with the Stevens Arms Company to begin production of a finely engineered automobile called the Stevens-Duryea. The company existed in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts from 1901 through 1927. These big early tourers were really their best stuff.
The Model U was technically a 1907 model, but it doesn’t matter. Because it’s awesome. Power is from a 35 horsepower, 5.5-liter inline-six. Ten examples of the Model U are said to exist, which is good news. Hopefully, they’ll be around for a long time to come. This particular car should bring between $175,000-$225,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
1906 Stevens-Duryea Model U Five-Passenger Touring
Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 7, 2019
Photo – Bonhams
After the Duryea brothers parted ways, Frank teamed up with the Stevens Arms Company to begin production of a finely engineered automobile called the Stevens-Duryea. The company existed in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts from 1901 through 1927. These big early tourers were really their best stuff.
The Model U was technically a 1907 model, but it doesn’t matter. Because it’s awesome. Power is from a 35 horsepower, 5.5-liter inline-six. Ten examples of the Model U are said to exist, which is good news. Hopefully, they’ll be around for a long time to come. This particular car should bring between $175,000-$225,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 17, 2019
Photo – Bonhams
The fine automobiles produced by Stevens-Duryea were the result of a family falling-out. J. Frank Duryea stopped getting along with his brother Charles and split off from their family-named business. He partnered with the J. Stevens Arms and Tool Company in 1901, and the Stevens-Duryea was born.
The Model DD was a 1914-only model. All of their cars were six-cylinder models by this point, and the DD is powered by a 48 horsepower, 7.5-liter side-valve straight-six. This car is bodied as a 7-Passenger Touring car, the least expensive body style offered at $4,800 when new.
With WWI arriving – though that had little to do with it – 1914 was the final year for Stevens-Duryea production. They returned in 1920 and ultimately lasted through 1927. But this car is from the end of their glory days. This example is all-original and unrestored and is one of only five examples of the Model DD still extant. It should sell for between $200,000-$300,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.
1913 Stevens-Duryea Model C-Six Five-Passenger Touring
Offered by RM Auctions | Monterey, California | August 16, 2014
Photo – RM Auctions
The Stevens-Duryea was a car for millionaires. The Vanderbilts drove one – a C-Six to be exact (it’s still on display at the Biltmore and if you’ve been there, you’ll know that the car is huge). Stevens-Duryea was founded when J. Frank Duryea and his brother Charles developed what I can only imagine to resemble an Oasis-level brotherly feud. J. Frank left and designed his own car, which the J. Stevens Arms & Tool Company wanted to be part of. J. Frank, J. Stevens… was J. Geils there too? (Okay, enough musical jokes).
The C-Six was produced for 1913 and 1914 only. It was available in a number of body styles over two wheelbases and featured a 44.6 horsepower (44.8 for 1914!) 7.5-liter straight-six engine. The restoration on this car was completed in 2008 and the details are perfect – check out more pictures on RM’s website here.
The current owners acquired the car in 2010 and the car is described as running well. It is one of nine C-Sixes known to survive and it is fantastic. It should sell for between $200,000-$275,000. Click here for more from this sale.
Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10-11, 2013
In 1902, J. Frank Duryea joined the Stevens Arms and Tool Company. The Duryea Brothers are one of the most interesting stories to come out of the early automobile industry. They built some beautiful cars together before going their separate ways.
Stevens-Duryea built its first car in 1902 and this is from the year after – making it one of the oldest Stevens-Duryeas in existence. It’s a Model L that originally used a flat-twin engine but is now powered by a Harley-Davidson V-Twin. This car had work done to it a long time ago (when it lost its engine in the 1940s or 50s) but it looks good today and it usable. The transmission and frame are also non-original.
RM states that the car could be restored further toward its original state or you could leave it like it is. Stevens-Duryea continued to build cars – that got bigger and bigger and more and more ludicrously expensive. Production ceased around 1923 but cars were still being sold out of old inventory through 1927. This is a $20,000-$30,000 car as is (and yes, I know, that’s a big range). Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
