Hampden Automobile & Launch Company After departing from the
Duryea Motor Wagon Company in July 1898, J. Frank Duryea was hired to build a car for the
American Automobile Company of New York. When this company appeared to be more interested in stock promotion than building cars, Frank Duryea returned to Springfield (
Hampden County) in 1900 and set-up an engineering company with his chief mechanic, John S. Jones and draughtsman William M. Remington. The Hampden Automobile & Launch Company built one
launch and three
prototype cars. Built in a small shop, the company looked for a partner to begin manufacturing and found J. Stevens Arms and Tool Company with spare manufacturing space and funds.
J. Stevens Arms and Tool Company A contract to manufacture cars called Stevens-Duryea was signed in August 1901. Stevens Arms had recently purchased the factory of
Victor Steam and bicycle maker
Overman, and Stevens-Duryea shared the premises for several months. The first Stevens-Duryea was identical to the car developed by Hampden Automobile & Launch and the first 50 cars were planned to be built by March 1902. Stevens-Duryea would participate in Reliability Trials, hill climbs and some motorsports, and joined
A.L.A.M. and participated in the major motor shows. with an aluminum-bodied, five-seat
touring car, priced at $2,500 (), Stevens-Duryea enter the luxury car market where they would remain. Frank Duryea developed a
multi-disc clutch and built his transmission
in-unit with the motor. Using 3-point support for the unit engine and transmission, would be advertised for all future models. For 1906 the new
Model S Big Six was introduced with a huge 9.6 liter six-cylinder motor, seven-seat
tulipwood and aluminum body, weighing 2,900-lbs (1315-kg) and priced at $5,000, . Introduced at the January 1906 New York Motor Show, it along with
Franklin, was one of two six-cylinder American cars shown.
National and
Frayer-Miller also introduced six-cylinder cars in 1906. Dating their six-cylinder car from 1905 when it was tested, Stevens-Duryea would advertise their cars as the
Pioneer Builder of American Sixes. a six-cylinder (Little Six) of 30/35-hp and priced more competitively at $3,500, . The Model U became very popular selling into 1910 when it was replaced with the
Model AA (Light Six). The Model R was offered until a new four-cylinder, the 1909
Model X and
Model XXX runabout was introduced. The model X was rated at 24-hp with prices starting at $2,750. In 1909 Frank Duryea at the age of 40, on doctor's advice, retired from daily work with Stevens-Duryea due to 20 years over-work and job related stress. In 1913, Stevens-Duryea introduced the
Model C-Six on two wheelbases and standardized on a one model policy. The C-Six engine was rated at 44.6-hp and was priced at $4,500 as a touring car, ranging up to $5,950 () as a 7 passenger
Berline. Production dropped from 1,500 cars in 1912 to 1,000 in 1913, but was more profitable for the company. J. Frank Duryea was now the majority shareholder and turned down financial investments that were conditional on adding a lower priced line of cars. He did not feel Chicopee was a good location for volume production and was not interested in lowering his manufacturing standards. In May 1915 the majority of Stevens Arms and Stevens-Duryea plants was sold to
New England Westinghouse Company. One building portion of the plant was retained to supply and make parts for the estimated 14,000 Stevens-Duryeas built. ==Stevens-Duryea, Inc.==