HowStuffWorks "How Dodge Works"
[http://www.howstuffworks.com/] SUBSCRIBE Adventure Animals Auto Culture Entertainment Health Home & Garden Lifestyle Money Science Tech Video Shows Quizzes Auto Basics Tech and Transport Auto Parts & Systems Auto Racing Buying & Selling Car Models Driving & Safety Fuel Efficiency Motorcycles Trucks Under the Hood Home / Auto / Car Models / Modern Cars / Dodge More Stuff Like This 10 Worst Cars of the 20th Century 10 Critical Pieces of Motorcycle Body Armor Puzzle: NYC Intersection How Dodge Works by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide Page 1 Dodge Origins 2 Dodge in the 1930s 3 1940, 1941, 1942, 1945, 1946 Dodge Cars 4 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950 Dodge Cars The 1931 Dodge Six, shown here as the 1931 DH Six station wagon, was the company's first six-cylinder car. The Dodge Brothers Company was 14 years old when it was bought by Walter Chrysler in 1928. As a new division of his corporation, Dodge built 125,000 cars in 1929. Then the Depression turned the nation's economy from sunny to gloomy. Though most makes bottomed out in 1933-34, Dodge averaged a healthy 100,000 cars a year, good for fourth behind Chevrolet, Ford, and sister-make Plymouth. Brothers John and Horace Dodge were traditionalists who believed in practicality and honest dollar value, so their cars never made any gesture toward sport. This continued under Chrysler, with nothing to suggest the high-performance Dodges to come. Through 1954, Dodges were just solid, reliable, low-to-middle-priced cars. Famed World War I U.S. Army General John J. Pershing did as much as anyone to make "Dodge" synonymous with "dependable" by commanding a fleet of 250 Dodge touring cars during his Mexican border campaign against Pancho Villa in 1916. Dodge changed rungs on the Chrysler price ladder in the early 1930s, sometimes standing above DeSoto, sometimes below. By 1933 it was decided that Dodge should occupy the attractive spot just above Plymouth and below DeSoto. Though the Great Depression delayed Chrysler's efforts to rebuild Dodge by several years, the division surged in 1935, reaching 159,000 cars for the model year. Dodge then soared to near 264,000 for '36 and reached its prewar peak with over 295,000 for 1937. A deep recession the next year temporarily halted the climb, and Dodge slipped out of the top five, but by 1941 it was back up to 237,000. The Dodge Brothers (who both died in 1920) and their successors sold only four-cylinder cars through 1928, then announced their first six: 241.5-cubic inch L-head unit making 58-68 horsepower. Chrysler presided over the first Dodge Eight in 1930, which would continue through three different displacements for the next three years. Dodge then offered nothing but inline-sixes through 1952. That engine, a flathead cast-iron design introduced in 1933, ultimately evolved through displacements of 201-230 cid and rated horsepower of 75-138. And it wasn't finished even in 1952; it continued for seven years more. More Information on Dodge Dodge New Car Reviews and Prices Dodge Used Car Reviews and Prices Print Cite This! Close Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks article: the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide. "How Dodge Works" 13 June 2007. HowStuffWorks.com.
14 August 2014. Citation & Date Feedback Page 1 Dodge Origins 2 Dodge in the 1930s 3 1940, 1941, 1942, 1945, 1946 Dodge Cars 4 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950 Dodge Cars 5 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955 Dodge Cars 6 1954, 1955, 1956 Dodge Cars 7 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 Dodge Cars 8 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963 Dodge Cars More To Explore More Great Links Top 10 Green Driving Tips 5 Scariest Stunt Car Feats The Ultimate CarStuff Fan Quiz 5 Warning Signs You Need New Tires 10 Most Expensive Classic Cars Watch American Chopper videos >> You Might Also Like 1969-1973 Plymouth Plymouth designers created a low but thick "armored car" appearance for their 1969-1973 line. These full-size models faced some interesting competition during this period-- a popular, new, and rather unwelcome internal rival, the Dodge Dart. 1993-1994 Pontiac Firebird After a close call with extinction, the Firebird's future now seemed assured with the 1993 Pontiac Firebird. Learn more about the details surrounding the 1993-1994 Pontiac Firebirds in this article. Popular Articles 1995-2000 Jaguar XJR 1984-1990 Dodge Daytona Turbo Z & Shelby Z 1979-1986 Jaguar XJ6 Series III Most Popular Most Watched Most Popular 10 Tips for Buying a Salvage Auto How Windshield Wipers Work Top 10 Alternative Fuels on the Road Right Now The Ultimate Automotive Physics Quiz 10 Amazing Car Security Systems Most Watched Understanding Cars Auto Parts & Systems Deconstructed Wrecks to Riches: Rebuilding Classic Cars Car Accident Videos Bikes, Hacks, Trikes and Choppers Don't Miss Stuff You Should Know: Demystifying Your World Stuff Mom Never Told You: All Things Women and Gender Stuff You Missed in History Class: Fact or Fiction? CHECK OUT OUR PODCASTS HOWSTUFFWORKS NEWSLETTER THE LATEST AND GREATEST SUBSCRIBE HOWSTUFFWORKS Adventure Animals Auto Culture Entertainment Health Home & Garden Lifestyle Money Science Tech MORE STUFF Blogs HSW Tools RSS Maps Podcasts Quizzes Newsletters Video HSW Brazil HSW China STUFF WEBSITES BrainStuff CarStuff Fw:Thinking Stuff Mom Never Told You Stuff of Genius Stuff They Don't Want You to Know Stuff to Blow Your Mind Stuff You Missed in History Class Stuff You Should Know CUSTOMER SERVICE Advertising Contact Us Help CORPORATE About Us Careers @ HSW Privacy Policy Visitor Agreement TAKE US WITH YOU FOLLOW US Copyright © 1998-2014 HowStuffWorks, a division of InfoSpace LLC