Vehicle Description
J. Frank Duryea founded Hampden Automobile & Launch Co. in
Springfield, Massachusetts, after parting ways with his brother
Charles at the Duryea Motor Wagon Co. Soon after setting up shop,
the J. Stevens Arms & Tool Company acquired a controlling interest
in the business, renamed Stevens-Duryea. The original Hampden
prototypes were basic 2-cylinder runabouts with tiller steering,
which sold for about $1,200 under the Stevens-Duryea name. Rapid
development saw Stevens-Duryea offer a 20hp four-cylinder engine
with a unique three-point engine mounting system in 1905. The
company touted the design as key to their success at hill-climb
events against cars of twice the horsepower and claimed, "In order
to get all of your engine power to the rear wheels, you must have a
STEVENS-DURYEA THREE POINT SUSPENSION." Stevens-Duryea rapidly
moved up-market, offering six-cylinder models by 1906, with the
colossal 50-horsepower, 9,147cc Model S as the flagship. It shared
the catalog with the 20hp Model R four-cylinder and the 30/35hp
"light six" Model U from 1907. In 1913, Stevens-Duryea simplified
the range, dropping the four and combining the six-cylinder range
into a single model, the C-Six. Stevens-Duryea had become one of
America's premier automakers, with quality, luxury, and cost
rivaling Packard and Pierce-Arrow. The C-Six came in two wheelbase
lengths to suit a variety of open or closed coachwork, which,
unusually for the time, was constructed entirely of aluminum. Power
came from a robust 490 cubic-inch inline-six rated at 45
horsepower, with a three-speed sliding gear transmission.
Unfortunately, Stevens-Duryea soon hit financial trouble, and the
company's creditors demanded J. Frank Duryea offer less expensive
models if he were to receive any more capital - a condition that he
refused to accept. As a result, Westinghouse purchased the plant to
support domestic efforts for World War I, and despite a brief
revival in the 1920s, Stevens-Duryea closed for good in 1927. This
fabulous 1913 Stevens-Duryea C-Six 5-passenger Tourer is one of
only ten known survivors of its type and is a stunning example of
this prestigious American marque. This car boasts a fascinating
history and a world-class restoration, benefitting from numerous
carefully engineered yet fully reversible improvements for safe,
reliable touring. Unusually for motorcars of this era, the original
owner is known: In this case, a California rancher. The story goes
that in 1917, his son crashed the car while out chasing rabbits,
damaging the front fender, radiator, and one headlamp. The rancher
parked it up in their barn after only 3500 miles, where it sat
until the 1940s. In the late 40s, a family friend purchased the
ranch, acquiring the Stevens-Duryea along with it. In the early
1950s, Mr. Neale Kemble took the C-Six as partial payment for work
he did on the ranch's irrigation pumps. As an automobile
enthusiast, Kemble was excited about this astonishingly well-kept
car and began a careful restoration. Since Stevens-Duryea used
aluminum coachwork, the car was free of corrosion, and the dry
California climate helped preserve the chassis and mechanical
components. Unfortunately, health issues meant Mr. Kemble couldn't
complete the project, and he sold it in the late 1980s. In 1988,
the highly respected restorer Clay Cook and his wife Rhonda of C.
Cook Enterprises discovered the car at an auction. Clay immediately
recognized its significance and potential and made the winning bid
to take it home. Once back at his workshop in Kentucky, Clay Cook
and his team began carefully disassembling and evaluating the car.
He found it extraordinarily well-preserved, down to the chassis
number stamps in the frame and wooden floorboards and the visible
honing marks in the cylinders backing the claim of 3,500 original
miles. The body was stripped, and the tweaked fender straightened,
but it was otherwise as it emerged from storage in the 1940s. In
speaking with Mr. Kemble to piece together the history, Cook
acquired several early photos of the car. Kemble had carefully
noted the layout of the colors and pinstriping before he stripped
the car, and his records proved invaluable during the restoration.
The Cooks chose a striking shade of medium blue paint, accented
with black reveal lines, plum pinstripes, and brightly polished
nickel accessories. Clay and Rhonda Cook took the mighty
Stevens-Duryea on the concours circuit, taking First in Class
awards at Meadowbrook and Pebble Beach in 1989 and an AACA Cup and
VMCCA Birmingham Award. The Cooks enjoyed the car for several more
years, and subsequent owners have kept it in superb condition.
Since acquiring the Stevens-Duryea over a decade ago, the most
recent owner has gone to extraordinary lengths to discreetly update
it for reliable touring while preserving the car's exquisite
cosmetics. As offered, the Model C-Six is resplendent in its
exquisite paintwork, highly polished nickel accessories, and rich
button-tufted black leather upholstery. Exterior fittings include
Stevens-Duryea branded nickel headlamps with complementary cowl
lamps, twin spares, a moto meter, a wicker trunk, and a marvelously
whimsicalLe Testophonetrumpet bulb horn, made in France by Cicca.
Exhaustive work has gone on beneath the alloy bodywork, including
refreshing the engine in 2020 with new Babbitt bearings, new
valves, guides, and springs. Custom Arias pistons were fitted
during the initial rebuild by Clay Cook. Other updates include 12V
electrics, pressurized oiling with a remote filter, a high-torque
electric starter, and a fully rebuilt gearbox with new bearings and
bushings. Perhaps the most significant update is the braking
system, which utilizes an exquisitely engineered hydraulic disc
system on the rear axle and the driveshaft. In addition to the
mechanical updates, there is also a full tonneau cover, a complete
set of side curtains, and front "gypsy curtains." The owner was
such a stickler for details that he ensured all the gauges worked
down to the original clock. For the purist, all the take-off
components are included should the next owner wish to return the
car to its original factory spec. Thanks to the extensive, superbly
engineered updates, this fabulous Stevens-Duryea is tour-ready and
a magnificent automobile to enjoy on the open road, and with a
roster of significant awards to its credit, it is still fit for the
concours field. Offers welcome and trades considered For additional
details please view this listing directly on our website
https://hymanltd.com/vehicles/7320-1913-stevens-duryea-c6/