In Springfield, MA, 118 years ago today, brothers Charles and Frank Duryea first test drove the gasoline-powered automobile they had built. While the Duryea name may be long gone, their creation inspired the horseless carriage era in the US.
Like many high-tech entrepreneurs, Charles and Frank had day jobs when they first got an inkling of the idea that would make them famous. Back in 1891, the brothers were bicycle builders working at Ames Manufacturing when an unexpected plant shutdown gave them free time, access to a machine shop and tools to work on the horseless carriage they'd been designing.
While the Duryeas initially planned to modify a Daimler design to an Atkinson cycle engine of their own manufacture, their final plans used a free piston engine and novel horizontal flywheel mounted at the front of the engine. After securing investors – the venture capitalists of the 1890s – and factory space, the brothers began working on their motor vehicle full time.
For two years, the brothers struggled to perfect the car amidst a bout with typhoid, trips to Peoria and a marriage. Finally, after many modifications, the car was ready for initial testing. Under cover of night, Frank drove the car along Spruce and Florence streets in Springfield. Though the newspaper reported that the tests were successful, Frank still had to tinker with the transmission.
Eventually, the Duryea Motor Wagon became the first motor vehicle to be advertised and mass-produced in the US. As a result, it also became the first motor vehicle to do a lot of things. It was the first auto to win the first auto race, and it was also involved in the first car accident when a Duryea owner hit a cyclist in New York City.
Among those inspired by the Duryea was Henry Ford, who called it a "masterpiece" and credited the brothers with starting the automotive industry.
The Duryea shown above was donated to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in 1920. It features a four-cycle, four horsepower, one cylinder water-cooled engine and a geared transmission that replaced the original friction drive.
Photo: Smithsonian Institution