Star was an American automobile company that was assembled by the Durant Motors 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 the Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first mass-affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. Th ...

and

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...

. 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, it was sold as the Rugby, to avoid

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

with the British

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

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 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 plant before production moved to the new factory in

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, Michigan, Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County, Michigan, Eaton County and nort ...

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

and

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. 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. The ...

, 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 A station wagon (American English, US, also wagon) or estate car (British English, UK, also estate) is an automotive Car body style, body-style variant of a Sedan (automobile), sedan with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo ...

. Instead of shipping a chassis 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 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 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 Cars discontinued in 1928

History

Models

See also

References

External links