In 1923, when Durant Motors tried to export the Star beyond the United States and Canada, it found that the Star name was already registered in the British Empire by a company in Wolverhampton, England. So the Rugby was born. The change from Star to Rugby was largely a change of badge, sometimes with the steering wheel moved to the right. Star cars were exported as Rugbys until Star production ended in 1928.
From 1928 Durant Motors also sold Rugby trucks in the American and Canadian markets; these trucks had formerly been part of the Durant line. From then on the export Rugby cars were based on Durant models. The export cars and the domestic truck line are listed separately below.
On this page: Rugby trucks · Export Rugby cars · Sales literature · Known cars and trucks
Rugby trucks
| Model | Advertised as | Description | Fact sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| L | Express | 1-ton truck. | 1928, 1929 |
| S4 | S-4 Light Delivery | Four-cylinder ½-ton truck and convertible business roadster. | 1928, 1931 |
| T | Fast Mail | 1½-ton truck. | 1928, 1929 |
| X | Four-cylinder 1-ton chassis, available with a number of body styles. | 1928 | |
| 401 | Four-cylinder 1-ton chassis, available with a number of body styles. | — | |
| 406 | 4-06 | Four-cylinder 1-ton truck. | 1931 |
| 614 | Six cylinders; sold with a panel body or as a chassis for a custom body. | 1930, 1931 | |
| 615 | Advertised as a 1-ton truck in 1930 and a 1½-ton truck in 1931; a shorter-wheelbase 616 with transmission power take-offs for a variety of bodies. | 1930, 1931 | |
| 616 | Six-cylinder 1½-ton truck on a 154 inch wheelbase, with helper springs and dual rear wheels, one of Rugby’s largest trucks. | 1930, 1931 |
Export Rugby cars
The export Rugbys were rebadged Star and Durant cars. This table matches each Rugby model to the car it was based on.
| Rugby model | Advertised as | Based on | Fact sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Star C | 1923 Rugby: 1923; Star: 1922, 1923 | |
| D40 | Durant 40 (1929) | — | |
| D60 | Durant 60 (1929) | — | |
| F | The New Rugby | Star F | 1924 Rugby: 1924; Star: 1924, 1925, 1926 |
| L | Star L | Star: 1927 | |
| M | The Improved Rugby Four | Star M | 1927 Rugby: 1927; Star: 1926, 1927 |
| M2 | Silent 4 | Star M2 | 1928 Rugby: 1928; Star: 1928 |
| M4 | Durant M4 (1929) | — | |
| R | The Improved Rugby Six | Star R | 1927 Rugby: 1927; Star: 1926, 1927 |
| 407 | Durant 407 (1931) | — |
Sales literature and manuals
The Rugby literature guide lists Rugby car and truck brochures from 1924 to 1932 and the Rugby truck parts books, with cover scans. The members’ Durant Digital Library holds the Rugby truck sales manual.
Known cars and trucks
The club’s registry lists 94 known surviving Rugbys, most of them built at Elizabeth, New Jersey and Leaside (Toronto).
Related pages
- Photo galleries: 1924–1927 Rugby, 1928–1930 Rugby, 1929 Rugby bus, Krakow
- Rugby Serial Numbers
- Star, the car the export Rugby was based on
Sources: Durant Family Registry, Durant’s Standard, vol. 10 no. 1 and vol. 21 no. 3.