On this day in history, September 21, 1893, Frank Duryea and his brother Charles test drove the first U.S. manufactured gas propelled vehicle. As a bicycle designer, Charles displayed an inventive talent. While at the Ohio State Fair in 1886, he saw a stationary gasoline engine that he thought could sufficiently power a carriage or wagon.
The two brothers quickly got to work on developing their gas powered vehicle. By February 1893, their vehicle was already running, and by September 1893, the car was ready for road trials. They had purchased a used horse drawn buggy for $70 and installed a 4-horsepower, single cylinder gasoline engine. The buggy had a friction transmission, spray carburetor, and low tension ignition.
On September 21, 1893, the prototype vehicle was tested on the outskirts of Springfield, Massachusetts. On hand were Erwin Markham, an investor in the project, Howard Bemis, who owned the farm on which the test began, and Rudy MacPhee, a reporter for the Springfield Evening-Union.
An improved version, largely developed by Frank, appeared in 1895 and won several races. In 1896, Charles and Frank formed the Duryea Motor Wagon Company in Springfield, Massachusetts. Although they produced 13 vehicles their first year, the brothers went their separate ways by the end of the century.
