Designed to compete with the Ford Model T, the Star was Durant Motors’ low-priced car. The Star Four (Model C) was announced in February 1922 and displayed in March 1922, but only seven were built that year; the Model C went into full production in 1923 and continued for a time in 1924. The Model F, promoted as “The New Series” Star, followed in 1924 and was built until 1926.
In 1926 the four-cylinder Model M replaced the F, and the six-cylinder Model R was added; both continued through 1927. In January 1928 Durant decided to sell six-cylinder cars under the Durant name and four-cylinder cars under the Star name, so the Star R became the Durant Model 55. Star production ended in April 1928, when the four-cylinder Star was rebadged as the Durant M2. Outside North America the Star was sold as the Rugby.
On this page: Models · Sales literature · Known cars
Models
| Model | Advertised as | Description | Fact sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | The Star Car Four | Four cylinders; built 1922 to 1924. | 1922, 1923 |
| CC | Truck only, 1924 to 1926. | — | |
| F | The “New Series” Star Car | Four cylinders; 1924 to 1926. | 1924, 1925, 1926 |
| L | Fleetruck, Compound Fleetruck | Six-cylinder 1-ton truck, 1926 to 1928; may have been sold only as a chassis. | 1927 |
| M | Improved Star Four, Refined Star Four | Four cylinders; 1926 to 1928. | 1926, 1927 |
| M2 | Four, The New Star | Four cylinders; 1928. In April 1928 it became the Durant M2. | 1928 |
| R | New Star Six | Six cylinders; 1926 to 1928 (as the Durant 55 from 1928). | 1926, 1927 |
Each fact sheet gives body styles and prices, serial number ranges, specifications and factory illustrations for that model year.
Sales literature and manuals
The Star literature guide lists 59 sales brochures and folders from 1922 to 1928, plus instruction manuals, repair manuals and parts books, with cover scans. Several of the manuals are in the members’ Durant Digital Library.
Known cars
The club’s registry lists 391 known surviving Star cars and trucks, by the factory that built them: Elizabeth, Lansing, Long Island City, Oakland and Leaside (Toronto).
Related pages
- Photo galleries: 1922–1924 Star, 1925–1926 Star, 1927+ Star
- Star Auto Serial Numbers and Star Truck Serial Numbers
- Rugby, the export name for the Star