Durant Second-Series Six-Cylinder History

The second-era Durant six-cylinder cars launched in 1928 as the Model 55 (replacing the Star Model R at the entry point of Durant's six-cylinder range) alongside the 6-60, 6-65, and 6-75 — each differentiated by wheelbase and equipment level. For 1929, Durant expanded further with the 6-63, 6-66, and 6-70, all Continental-engined sixes distinguished mainly by compression ratio. The 6-65 rode a 110-inch wheelbase and featured contemporary niceties including a coincidental locking device, air filter, oil filter, and gasoline strainer. The 1929 Model 60 used a larger 185-cubic-inch Continental Red Seal six-cylinder.

All-steel Budd bodies arrived across the six-cylinder range for 1930, when model codes shifted to a 600-series: 610, 612, 614, and 617, with 611, 618, and 619 variants following — some produced exclusively by Dominion Motors (Canada) for 1931–1932. The proliferation of codes reflected Durant's attempt to cover multiple market niches with a lean manufacturing operation; in practice, differences between successive codes were often modest.

US six-cylinder production at Lansing ended in August 1931. William Durant Motors was found insolvent and entered liquidation in 1933. Durant himself, once one of the wealthiest men in America, died nearly broke in 1947 at age 85 — a fitting coda to a career defined by audacious expansion and equally dramatic reversals.