The Star was an America automobile

marque A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create a ...

that was assembled by the

Durant Motors Durant Motors Inc. was established in 1921 by former General Motors CEO William "Billy" Durant following his termination by the GM board of directors and the New York bankers who financed GM. Corporate relationships Durant Motors attempted t ...

Company between 1922 and 1928. Also known as the Star Car, Star was envisioned as a competitor against the

Ford Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relat ...

and Chevrolet. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, it was sold as the Rugby, to avoid

confusion In medicine, confusion is the quality or state of being bewildered or unclear. The term "acute mental confusion"

with the British

History

Like other products of the Durant Motors Company, the Star was an "assembled car", built from parts supplied by various outside companies. Originally, Stars were powered by a

four-cylinder The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categorize ...

engine. In 1926, the line introduced a six-cylinder engine. All factory-installed engines were built by Continental. Durant was Continentals biggest customer in the 1920's taking up to 85% of its output. Star cars were first produced in Durant's

Long Island City Long Island City (LIC) is a residential and commercial neighborhood on the extreme western tip of Queens, a borough in New York City. It is bordered by Astoria to the north; the East River to the west; New Calvary Cemetery in Sunnyside to th ...

plant before production moved to the new factory in

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...

. Star would also be manufactured in other Durant factories in

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, maki ...

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

and

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. Star was planned to undercut Chevrolet prices and match Ford prices, starting in 1922 at $348 () for a

touring car Touring car and tourer are both terms for open cars (i.e. cars without a fixed roof). "Touring car" is a style of open car built in the United States which seats four or more people. The style was popular from the early 1900s to the 1930s. Th ...

, Ford slashed prices by $50 in mid 1923, which Star could not match. Star was able to match Chevrolet prices during most of its life, ranging from $443 in 1923 to $525 () in 1927 for a touring car. In 1923, Star became the first car company to offer a production station wagon. Instead of shipping a

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpa ...

out to a custom builder, who added a wooden wagon body, the wagon body was delivered to the Star factory and fitted to the chassis there. For the early part of the 1928 model year, the Star was known as the Durant Star and was only available with a four-cylinder engine. The car was replaced in the latter half of the 1928 model year by the Durant 4. Production from 1923 to 1928 totaled 358,689 vehicles.

Models

Star Two Door Sedan The Star Two Door Sedan was manufactured by the Star division of Durant Motors. Star Two Door Sedan specifications (1926 data) * Color – Blue lacquer with nickel radiator * Seating Capacity – Five * Wheelbase – 102 inches * Wheels – W ...

File:Star Durant Touring 1922.jpg, 1922 Star Touring Car File:Mot 61 - Star.jpg, 1923 Star Touring Car File:1923 Star (5784800197).jpg, 1923 Star Four model C Station Wagon File:1926 Star R E Olds Museum Lansing MI 2-9-2008 060 N.jpg, 1926 Star Coach File:1927 Durant 'Star' - 4-Door @ Balboa Park San Diego Ca. - panoramio.jpg, 1927 Star 4 door sedan Star offered light

commercial vehicles A commercial vehicle is any type of motor vehicle used for transporting goods or paying passengers. The United States defines a "commercial motor vehicle" as any self-propelled or towed vehicle used on a public highway in interstate commerce ...

derived from the passenger cars.

References

External links

List of Star modelsStar catalog at durantcars.netDurant Motors Automobile Club
{{Durant Motors Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Durant Motors Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1922 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1928 Cars introduced in 1922 1920s cars Vintage vehicles Motor vehicle manufacturers based in New Jersey

History

Models

See also

References

External links