Cliff Durant

Russell Clifford "Cliff" Durant (November 26, 1890 in Flint, Michigan – October 31, 1937 in Hollywood) was an American racecar driver. He was the son of William C. Durant, the founder of General Motors and his first wife, Clara Pitt.[1] Cliff Durant had four wives: Lena Pearl McFarland, Adelaide Pearl Frost, Lea Gapsky, and Charlotte Phillips. His second wife, Adelaide Pearl Frost (1885–1977), whom he married September 1, 1911, was a singing star who later married WW1 fighting ace Eddie Rickenbacker.

Cliff Durant
Durant in 1919
Born26 Nov 1890
Flint, Michigan
Died31 October 1937
Hollywood
Occupationautomobile racer, Vice President of Chevrolet - California sales.
Known forautomobile racing, son of William C. Durant, founder of General Motors

Early life

Durant was born on 26 November 1890 in Flint, Michigan, the son of William C. Durant and Clara Miller Pitt.[2] He attended Flint Grammar Schools and later the University of Detroit and the Pennsylvania Military Academy.[1] Durant's older sister, Margery Durant was three years his senior. When Durant was young, the family lived at 704 Garland St. in Flint, Michigan and were attended by servants.[3] In 1908, Durant's parents divorced and in the settlement, Durant's mother Clara was granted the house on Garland St.[4]

Married Life

Cliff Durant had a number of marriages and was rumored to treat his wives poorly through extramarital affairs and physical abuse.[5]

Racing activities
Chevrolet Special driven by Cliff Durant in 1919 Santa Monica Race

Santa Monica 1919

In 1919 Durant was named the "Pacific Coast Champion," when he drove a blue Chevrolet Special to victory at the Santa Monica Road Race. He averaged 81.28 miles per hour in the open topped machine for a total of 3 hours and 4 minutes. His teammate Eddie Hearned finished only 7 minutes behind Durant. Throughout the run, neither Durant or Hearne were lapped by any other drivers in all of the 250 miles on the course. Durant only pitted twice, for tire changes. One of those pit stops was for a tire that blew while he was running almost 100 miles per hour. The race was not a success for all, however as Hudson Special driver, Walter Melcher, lost control of his vehicle on the curve by the Soldier's Home and crashed, suffering injuries from which he later succumbed.[6][7]

Beverly Hills Speedway
Beverly Hills Speedway located at Wilshire Boulevard and Beverly Drive.

Durant was a co-owner of the Beverly Hills Speedway (1921–1924), a 1-1/4 mile board track. The speedway was owned by the Speedway Association, owned by Durant, Cecil B. DeMille, Jake Densinger, and Silsbee Spalding, among others.[8][9] It is located where the Beverly Wilshire Hotel is today. In its day it rivaled the Indianapolis Speedway.

In May 1923 Durant shattered eight world speed records for events 75 miles (121 km) and under at the Beverly Hills Speedway.

Detroit Special

Early in 1927, Durant financed the design and construction of an 8-cylinder front-wheel drive vehicle which was designed and built by Tommy Milton and C.W. Van Ranst.[10] The vehicle was assembled in a basement laboratory of the General Motors Building in Detroit and, as such, was named the "Detroit Special" in honor of the city in which it was built.[11] The vehicle was later bought by Harry Hartz, who installed a new Miller engine. Durant was to have driven the car in the 1932 Indy 500 race, but Fred Frame drove it to victory instead.

Other Racing Accomplishments

He competed at many tracks and events around the country, including: Santa Monica road races, Tacoma Speedway, Cactus Derby (a challenging off-road race between Los Angeles to Phoenix road race), the Vanderbilt Cup, and the Indy 500 from 1919 to 1932.[12]

1922 Tacoma Speedway Cliff Durant Marvin D Boland Collection G521089
Marvin D. Boland Collection BOLAND-B2018

In 1923 Durant had the largest stable of cars (6) ever to participate in the Indy 500 until modern times. He came in 7th that year.

Durant was the financial backer of the famous Harry Miller racing engines which dominated the racing world in the 1920s–30s.

Other activities

Durant had his own flight school, airplanes for sale, and 72-acre (290,000 m2) field, “Durant Field” in Oakland, California in 1919. It was located between 80th Ave., 83rd Ave., and Snell Street. He also had Air Mail contracts for mail delivery with the government.

He had a large estate in Roscommon, Michigan on the South Branch of the Au Sable River, where "The Castle", a 54-room mansion, burned to the ground February 6, 1931. On the estate was his own private air strip, with several planes. On April 27, 1930, test pilot Herb Fahy died two days after an airplane he had been showing Durant had crashed on takeoff at this airstrip. Herb and his wife Clair Fahy, both prominent pilots, acted as sales agents for Lockheed. Durant agreed to buy the airplane if Fahy could prove that the Sirius could land and take off safely from Durant's personal strip. Herb and Claire landed the plane without incident, but as they took off, one of the wheels hit a partially hidden stump, which flipped the plane over. Herb, at age 33, suffered a fractured skull and a severe concussion from which he never recovered.[13]

The community airport in Roscommon, Michigan, was named Durant Field in his honor on July 16, 1933.

At various times in his career he presided over the West Coast division of Durant Motors, and vice president of sales for Chevrolet in Oakland, California. He left Chevrolet in 1921, after his father, W.C. "Billy" Durant, left General Motors.[1]

Cliff was an accomplished musician as well, playing the violin. He owned the Guarneri del Gesu violin, and played the piano and trumpet.[1] He was at one time the owner of one of the most prized collections of violins in the world.[12]

In addition to being a businessman, race car driver, aviator and musician, he was also a yachtsman who owned the sailing yacht "Aurora."

Death

Durant died on October 31, 1937, at his Beverly Hills home of a heart attack at age 46, and is buried in Los Angeles, California. His wife, Charlotte Phillips, summoned medical assistance, but he was pronounced dead when the assistance arrived.[1]

Indy 500 results

References
  1. "Cliff Durant Dies Suddenly". L.A. times. 1 Nov 1937.
  2. "Genesee County Birth Index 1878 to 1907". Flint Genealogical Society. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  3. "United States Census 1900 Ward 1 Enumeration Dist. 10 Sheet 12".
  4. Gustin, Lawrence (15 April 2008). Billy Durant: The Creator of General Motors. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. p. 81. ISBN 978-0472033027.
  5. Lewis, W. David (8 December 2005). Eddie Rickenbacker: An American Hero in the Twentieth Century. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 258. ISBN 9780801882449.
  6. Williams, Harry A (16 March 1919). "Cliff Durant Roars Around Santa Monica's Fast Course to Victory". LA Times.
  7. "Durant, Chevrolet Special, Winner at Santa Monica". Spanish California and the Gold Rush. 11: 11. 1919.
  8. Wanamaker, Marc (2005). Early Beverly Hills. Charleston: Arcadia Publishing. p. 68. ISBN 9780738530680.
  9. King, Susan (25 Dec 2014). "Speedway Put Beverly Hills in the Fast Lane". LA Times.
  10. Borgenson, Griffith (21 August 2005). Errett Lobban: His Empire, His Motor Cars. p. 84. ISBN 9780971146877.
  11. "Cadillac President, With La Salle, Will Pace First Lap of Indianapolis Race". Democrat and Chronicle. May 15, 1927.
  12. "Multimillionaire Makes Sixth Bid for Speed Honors". Indianapolis Star. 30 May 1924.
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2015-08-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.