Charles E. Duryea
Quick Summary
Charles E. Duryea and his brother J. Frank Duryea are credited with building one of the first automobiles and the first successful gasoline-powered automobile in the United States. Charles, inspired by a compact gasoline engine he saw in 1886, designed a car, and with Frank, they constructed it in Springfield, Massachusetts. Their car successfully ran on the streets of Springfield in 1893. An improved version, largely Frank's work, won races and led to the manufacture and sale of thirteen cars. While the brothers later parted ways, Frank developed the Stevens-Duryea, a notable early automobile.1
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