The 2013 movie Rush is a fast-paced, action-packed biographical sports film that highlights the legendary rivalry between Formula 1 drivers Niki Lauda and James Hunt. The movie features a scene where Lauda meets Marlene Knaus, who goes on to become his wife.
Seated in the passenger seat beside Lauda, who is on the wheel, Knaus says it is “Impossible” when the excited owners of the car in the backseat tell her that he is Niki Lauda, a Formula 1 driver. When Lauda asks “Why?”, she states it is because of a combination of how he was dressed and how he was driving at the moment, “like an old man.” When Lauda shoots back saying he has zero incentive or reward to drive fast, Knaus leans in to say “because I’m asking you to.” Before we know it, Lauda shifts gears with the practised hand of a F1 driver, puts his foot on the pedal and gets the vehicle vrooming along, letting the other three in the car feel the exhilaration and thrill of speed that he normally keeps to himself. Lauda thus sets in motion their love life.
Certainly embellished for the sake of cinema, the scene nevertheless gets the vibes and the atmosphere between the real-life pair spot on. It also gets certain other things like the hum of the vehicle, and the feel of the steering wheel in the hands of a driver correctly – things that often crop up in conversations between automobile aficionados and driving enthusiasts.
Stark contrast
All these, however, are a far cry from the early automobiles, the likes of which the Duryea brothers got on the road 120 years before the release of this movie. These vehicles neither hummed along, nor did they offer a burst of speed. What’s more, the automobile that the Duryea brothers brought out lacked even a steering wheel! But then, innovation and invention needs its time to grow and thrive, and doesn’t always burst into prominence instantly.
The Duryea brothers – Charles and Frank – were born nearly eight years apart in the same decade. Charles, the elder one, was born in Canton, Illinois, U.S. on December 15, 1861, while Frank, the younger one, was born on October 8, 1869 in Washburn, Illinois.
While Charles had an inventive mind, Frank was a natural mechanic. With the elder one in his early 20s and the younger one still in his teens, the duo gravitated towards the rapidly growing bicycle industry in the 1880s.
It was in 1886 that the Duryea brothers had a change in heart. Visiting the Ohio state fair that year, Charles was fascinated by a stationary gasoline engine that was exhibited. Blessed with resourcefulness, it was blatantly clear to Charles that this engine was compact enough to power a wagon or a carriage.
The first ride
In the years that followed, Charles had his design ready. Having completed his design by 1891, Charles got to work with his brother Frank, renting a loft in Springfield, Massachusetts that served as their tiny workshop. Together, the duo constructed what was one of the first automobiles in the U.S.
The car, if we were to call it that, was the result of tinkering an old horse drawn buggy. Having purchased this for $70, the Duryea brothers fitted it with a 4 HP, single cylinder gasoline engine. (HP, which stands for horsepower, is a unit of power that measures the rate at which work is done. It was coined late in the 18th Century to compare engines to the strength of horses – the de facto source of power for heavy labour at the time.)
The Duryea brothers – Charles (left) and Frank – seated in one of their first automobiles.
| Photo Credit:
Wikimedia Commons
On September 21, 1893, they made a successful run of their automobile in the streets of Springfield. It wasn’t without incident, but they were up to the challenge. Their drive came to a sudden halt a few hundred feet into the ride as the transmission failed. Frank was on it immediately and with a quick fix they were up and running again, managing nearly half a mile later the same day.
Races conquered
Within the next couple of years, an improved version appeared and went on to win several races. The Duryea Wagon was entered into the Chicago Times Herald race in 1895. On a snowy Thanksgiving Day in Chicago, Frank Duryea travelled more than 80 km at an average speed of about 12 km/hour, obliterating the rest of the field. Considering this was the first U.S. race in which any of the entrants finished, the Duryea brothers quickly catapulted to fame.
Their success at the races meant that the Duryea brothers’ car was advertised as an attraction with Barnum and Bailey – a famous American circus.
| Photo Credit:
Jim Griffin / flickr
The victory here, and in many other races, led to a surge in demand for their automobile. The Duryea Motor Wagon Company was set up in 1896, making it the first American company to manufacture and sell automobiles. Thirteen production models that were copies of the race-winning car were hand-built and sold, with one surviving vehicle now part of the collection of the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
Brothers part ways
Fame and success, however, come with their fair share of problems. There was growing discontent between the two brothers and by the end of the century, it had become a full-blown rift leading to a financial fallout.
Their split, in fact, stemmed right from their first success. While Charles claimed that the model they tested in September 1893 was entirely under his guidance, Frank’s version of things were quite different. He stated that he was the one who perfected the transmission and engine for that automobile when Charles was actually away at Illinois. The controversy soured their relationship, and the duo had no option but to part ways.
Left to their own methods and no longer working together, the Duryea brothers continued to work separately on automobiles. Charles moved to Reading, Pennsylvania and made a number of Duryea vehicles, including some three-wheeled automobiles, until 1917. Frank partnered with the gun manufacturing company Stevens Arms by the turn of the century to develop Stevens-Duryea automobiles. Part of the early standard of automobiles, the high-priced limousine from Stevens-Duryea was among the best known and remained in production until the 1920s.
Published – September 21, 2025 12:26 am IST
