Building History
12-16 Building History 3/20/14 9:43 AM Page 12
BY CONTRIBUTING WRITER JOHN GUNNELL
Two of a Kind Engine-building Dodge Bros. Celebrate 100 Years ‘On their Own’
E
ngine builders John and Horace Dodge started making automobiles in 1914 — 100 years ago. However, the Dodge brothers actually got into the automobile industry in 1900 and actually manufactured engines under contract to Henry Ford in 1900. Eventually, they built all of Ford’s mechanical parts. John and Horace were talented machinists who started at the bottom and worked their way to the top through their hands-on skills and ambition to succeed in business. Like many automotive pioneers, the brothers first made bicycles. Then, a few years later, they opened up a machine shop in Detroit — the city that became the hub of American car making. Before building engines for Ford, the brothers built transmissions for Olds Motor Works. Within a year, Ford offered them a contract to make engines for his Dearborn, MI, company, but they had to stop doing work for his upstate rival from Lansing, MI. In exchange for their motors, Ford anted up a 10% share of Ford Motor Co. stock, which made the brothers wealthy engine makers. As historians tell us, Henry Ford could be ornery and he fought with the Dodge Brothers over costs and financial matters. They fought constantly for 12
years, then Ford yanked the cord, prompting the talented Dodges to make their own car. They started with a successful four-cylinder 30-hp vehicle called the Dodge Brothers Model 30. It was made in a factory in Hamtramck, MI. Before too long, Dodge Brothers Inc. was the second largest automaker in America. Dodge Brothers, Inc., was set up through the sale of $5 million worth of common stock. The new Model 30 was the world's first massproduced, all-steel touring car. It was the best-selling new car ever at that time with a record firstproduction of 45,000 units. Gen. John J. Pershing's wellpublicized use of 250 Dodge touring cars to hunt down Mexican rebel Pancho Villa in 1916 established a reputation for durability and reliable operation.
Introduced in 1914, the Dodge Model 30 was still in production in 1917 when the company made 9,000 cars including this one with the carryover 213-cid 32-hp 4-cylinder engine. (Photo courtesy Mecum Auctions) 12 March 2014 | EngineBuilder
The Dodge “Victory Six” of 1928 was a smooth-running engine that could accelerate from 5 to 25 mph in 7.5 sec. The 58-hp six was good for 60 mph and 21 mpg (at 25 mph) according to Dodge. (Gunner’s Great Garage collection).
Dodge engines didn’t quit! With the Model 30 selling well, the Dodge brothers looked for a way to grow their business and began