1923 Star Four

The inception of Star Motors can be traced back to the 1920s, initiated by William 'Billy' Durant, a seasoned figure in the automobile sector. Mr. Durant was the largest manufacturer of horse-drawn vehicles at the start of the 20th century, and as the industry shifted towards the horseless carriage, so did Mr. Durant. He acquired a local car company that, at the time, had few sales and large debts. It was called Buick, and with Durant's experience, marketing, and strong financial footing, it soon became the best-selling automobile in America. Durant acquired several more automobile manufacturers and component-making companies, which he placed under the General Motors Holding Company umbrella. The aggressive pursuit of multiple acquisitions by him rapidly stretched the corporation's resources beyond their limits, culminating in a liquidity crisis that necessitated his exit from the company.

Down but not out, as the saying goes, Durant and Louis Chevrolet created a new company in 1911 named Chevrolet. The success of this new venture allowed Durant to regain control of General Motors in 1916, and he remained at its helm until 1920.

In 1921, Durant established Durant Motors, initially with one brand. Before long, several marques had been added and rivaled the range offered by General Motors. The list included Durant, Star, Flint, and Eagle, with each brand targeting different markets and levels of affordability. The 'entry' level marque was called 'Star' (a.k.a. Star Car).

The Star Company was founded in 1922 and its low-priced automobiles were assembled at Durant's Long Island City plant before production moved to a new factory in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Star automobiles were also assembled in other strategically located Durant factories in Toronto, Ontario, Lansing, Michigan, and Oakland, California.

Like other Durant Motors Company automobiles, the Star was an 'assembled car' using parts produced by various outside companies. The press declared the Star vehicles as 'a great deal of car for the money,' and its low price, as well as its durable and reliable componentry, which made it a competitor to Ford and Chevrolet automobiles. It was more advanced than the venerable Model T, with a Continental engine paired with a three-speed transmission. Star vehicles were priced slightly higher than Ford automobiles, but they were able to match Chevrolet's prices for most of its existence.

Star automobiles were initially powered by four-cylinder engines; in 1926, a six-cylinder model was introduced to the line. The company solely relied on engines built by Continental, and during the 1920s, they were its biggest customer, receiving 85% of its output.

Production of Star automobiles ended in 1928, with total production during its existence estimated at 358,689 vehicles. During the early part of the 1928 model year, the Star was known as the Durant Star and solely offered with four-cylinder engines. Later in the year, the Star was replaced by the Durant 4. The 'Durant' automobile was produced from 1921 to 1926. It was revived in April 1928 with six-cylinder Continental engines and bodies supplied by Budd Company, with production continuing through 1932.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2024