Stevens-Duryea Model C-six

In 1893, brothers J. Frank and Charles E. Duryea built what is considered one of the first American gasoline automobiles. Two Duryeas competed in the very first London-to-Brighton Emancipation Run in 1896, with J. Frank taking first place.
Built as part of the J. Stevens Arms & Tool Company in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts; this five-passenger car has Westinghouse air shock absorbers and a spring-loaded front bumper, and when introduced was the only car with a one-piece windshield.

This 1913 Model C was donated by noted painter and renowned illustrator Melbourne Brindle, and represents his sixth Stevens-Duryea. The car, affectionately nicknamed “Stevie” by its former owner, was donated in 1986, following a meticulous five-year restoration that included stripping the car to its bare aluminum body. So beloved was Stevie that it made a final visit to his former owner in 1995 when the car was requested to participate in Brindle’s funeral procession.