Duryea Motor Wagon

The Duryea Motor Wagon was among the first standardized automobiles and among the first powered by gasoline. Fifteen Motor Wagons were built by the Duryea Motor Wagon Company company of Chicopee, Massachusetts, between 1893 and 1896.

Before this time, all automobiles were one-off individual models, The first commercially available automobile was patented by Karl Benz on January 29, 1886 and put into production in 1888.

It is not clear whether the Benz Velo or this vehicle was standardized first. The Duryea Motor Wagon remained in production into the 1920s.


The Duryea brothers entered their horseless carriage in many shows and races. The Duryea Motor Wagon carriage won the first prize in the first ever American automobile race Times-Herald race, a 54-mile course, in 1896. Duryeas also won first and second place in the Cosmopolitan Race on Decoration Day, 1896 in New York City. On November 14, 1896 they joined the Procession/Race from London to Brighton England.

The First Duryea

Year Engine HP Wheel size
1893 1-cylinder 4 54

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