Only five years after Charles Duryea and his brother Frank built the world's first commercially manufactured automobiles, Charles set up production in Reading, PA. This early Duryea has many advanced features, including a three-cylinder water-cooled engine and a centrally mounted tiller control. It performs three functions - steering, by moving the tiller left and right; speed, by rotating the handle grip at the top, and gear selection, by raising or lowering the same handle. Other 'modern' features of its day were the pneumatic tires (Duryea was the first to use these on cars) and the inclined king pin, which he patented in 1900. The principle of the inclined king pin (the axle on which the front wheel is steered) is still used in modern car steering systems. Duryea's development of putting it on an angle allowed the wheels to track straight ahead, rather than being deflected left or right by every irregularity in the road.
Duryea's production methods introduced a new idea. His vehicles were built in Reading from parts that were manufactured by others located elsewhere, a method that we now refer to as 'out-souring.' Ford took the idea, added the moving assembly line, and in so doing, changed the world.
This 1901 Duryea motor car was once owned by Bill Pollock. Mr. Pollock donated the car to the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles.
