A couple of talented but unlucky car guys named Horace and John Dodge founded the Dodge Brothers Motor Company in 1913.
The famous car brand survives to this very day in the Chrysler stable.
The Dodge brothers were talented early pioneers in the automotive field and supplied manufacturers like Ford with car parts, including engines and running gear.
The Dodge brothers became full time manufacturers a century ago in 1915.
The Dodges parlayed their success into a large car company under the Dodge Brothers banner in just a few short years.
Unfortunately, both brothers succumbed to illness in 1920 and were unable to match the longevity of their namesake automobile brand. Walter Chrysler purchased the struggling Dodge Brothers Motor Company from an investment bank in 1928 and eventually the name was shortened to the more familiar Dodge.
At the time, the purchase of Dodge Brothers by Chrysler was considered to be a small company swallowing up a much larger company, but it immediately transformed Chrysler into the third biggest US automobile manufacturer.
Chrysler was able to streamline Dodge Brothers into a more efficient company after its brief run under the investment bank ownership, an entity unable to run a car factory at the time.
However, the name was still Dodge Brothers in 1929 when this beauty first left the Hamtramck, Michigan factory, also known as Dodge Main. Bill Gess is its current owner and he is the fifth owner of the 86-year-old automobile.
Its full name is Dodge Brothers Senior Six Sport Sedan, and the car is the best documented and most original one of its kind on the entire planet. There are thought to be only five of these models in existence and Bill’s is the best in a small class.
The car only has 27,000 miles on it and led a pampered life during the many decades since it left the factory back in ’29. This Dodge Brothers model was a higher end ride and originally sold for the princely sum of $1795.00, a considerable amount of money for a car in the 20s.
The original owner was a woman and she employed a chauffeur for the car. The records show it was driven from its Oregon home to the 1935 America’s Exposition in San Diego, California.
People rode in style with this Dodge Brothers beauty over the years because it has mohair upholstery, wood grain dash and window blinds to keep out of the sun and curious onlookers.
Considerable documentation exists for this Dodge Brothers Senior Six Sport Sedan and that is part of the impressive biography behind this incredibly rare vehicle. This history was mentioned earlier and the documents include its original build sheet from the factory. Bill first became acquainted with the car at a Dodge Meet in the early 21st century and was lucky enough to purchase it a few years later from its fourth owner in Vancouver, Washington.
Bill is the lucky current owner of this rare car from the unlucky Dodge brothers’ factory and he is the right owner for this rare classic from the past.
Jim Sutherland
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