Dodge's History

Dodge Tourers

Nov 14, 1914

Dodge Timeline

Period: Nov 14, 1914 to Oct 12, 1968

1916 DODGE

Dec 9, 1916

By July 15, 1916, General Pershing's original request for six Dodges to be used in the Mexican Expedition against Pancho Villa had grown to 150. Lt. George Patton, Jr., took 15 men and three Dodges into the first mechanized cavalry charge of U.S. Army lore. About this time, the dry multiple disc clutch replaced the cone.

1919 DODGE

Dec 9, 1919

From 1916 to 1923, Dodge was built on a 114-inch wheelbase. Until 1919, little change in appearance took place. In March of that year, a four­door enclosed sedan was introduced into the Dodge line. Dodge's greatest contribution of this time span, however, was the industry's first all-steel coupe body introduced in June, 1922.

1924 DODGE

Dec 9, 1924

In July, 1923, Dodge Brothers made its most radical styling change to date. Wheelbase was extended to 116 inches, louvers placed on the hood, and the entire car given a lower appearance. Automatic windshield wipers were added in 1924, the same year that Roy Chapman Andrews took three Dodges on a 10,000­mile, fossil-hunting expedition into China and inner Mongolia. In 1926, a two-unit 6-volt electrical system was introduced.

1927 DODGE BROTHERS FAST FOUR

Dec 9, 1927

In 1927, Dodge styling again made a big change. The Fast Four with a 108-inch wheelbase made its debut in June of that year. With its light weight and 40 hp engine, the Fast Four had a top speed over 60 mph. The single-plate clutch was adopted in January, 1927, followed shortly after by Dodge's move to the standard SAE shift pattern transmission. Four-wheel brakes came in November.

1928 DODGE BROTHERS VICTORY SIX

Dec 9, 1928

Four-cylinder models no longer were offered, but two new sixes were added: the Victory Six on a 1l2-inch wheelbase, and the Standard Six on a 110-inch wheel­base. The Senior was put on a 120-inch wheelbase in July, 1928. Walter P. Chrysler purchased Dodge from Dillon, Read & Co. for a 170 million dollar stock exchange merger, July 30, 1928.

1929 DODGE BROTHERS SIX, DA

Dec 9, 1929

The three Dodge car lines were consolidated into two—the Six and the Senior. The Six was an offshoot of the Victory Six, using its engine. New styling characteristics indicating Chrysler design influence were head lamps mounted on a grille bar and a narrow bright metal molding attached at the back of the hood. The Six sold for 995 dollars.

1930-1933 Dodge eight

Dec 9, 1930

Despite the Depression, Dodge unveiled its first L-head eight-cylinder engine, in a 114-inch wheelbase car. The straight eight had a displacement of 220.7 cubic inches and was equipped with a downdraft carburetor. Another Dodge line, the Six, had a 109-inch wheelbase, one of the shortest ever made by Dodge.

1946-1948 DODGE CUSTOM, D-24

Dec 9, 1946

Although similar in appearance to the 1942 models, the first postwar Dodges had front fender shapes that carried into the door panels, and included replaceable cartridge-type oil filters along with a new high -capacity oil pump. The demand for new cars was so great that production continued from 1946 until 1948 with relatively little change.

1949-1953 Corenet

Dec 9, 1949

The first major postwar model change for Dodge inaugurated three new series on two wheelbases: the Wayfarer, Meadow­brook, and Coronet. The Wayfarer Sportabout was a revival of the roadster body style but with crank-up side windows. New improvements were the combination starter-ignition switch, sea-leg shock absorbers, and Gyro­Matic semiautomatic transmission.

1954 DODGE ROYAL

Dec 9, 1954

In September, 1953, two new Dodges were sent to Bonneville, where under the supervision of the AAA Contest Board they spent five days breaking every established record in Class C (183-305-cubic inch) and, in fact, finished with an over-all 196 speed, acceleration and reliability records. PowerFlite, Dodge's first fully automatic transmission, also was initiated as optional equipment for V-8 models.

1955 DODGE CUSTOM ROYAL:

Dec 9, 1955

Two and three-toned color combinations high­lighted the Dodge cars for 1955. A specialty car called the Dodge La Femme was introduced as a two-door hardtop with select colors and trim that included matching rain cape, umbrella and rain boots, and shoulder bag, stored in pockets behind the front seats.

1956 DODGE CUSTOM ROYAL LANCER:

Dec 9, 1956

The now famous optional D-500 power package made Dodge a big stock car winner in 1956. The D-500 developed 230 hp at 4400 rpm. At the annual Daytona speed trials, Dan Eames in a D-500 took his class in the flying mile at 130.577 mph, then came back to whip all V-8's in the one mile standing start at 81.786 mph.

1957 DODGE ROYAL

Dec 9, 1957

With torsion bars in front and leaf springs in the rear, Torsion-Aire suspension made its debut. 14-inch wheels allowed bigger tires. TorqueFlite three - speed automatic transmission was an option, and dry, paper element air cleaners replaced the previous oil-bath type. The D-500-1 engine with 340 horsepower kept Dodge in the forefront of stock car racing.

1958 DODGE CUSTOM ROYAL

Dec 9, 1958

Dual head lamps and the compound curved windshield were styling features for 1958. Popularity of optional equipment increased. Power steering was used on 62.5% of the Dodges built; power brakes-­34%; tinted glass--23.4%; and automatic transmission 96.4%. The Coronet accounted for 70% of the Dodges sold. An electronic fuel injection system was made available.

1959 DODGE CUSTOM ROYAL

Dec 9, 1959

Front and rear ends were restyled, and the swivel-type front seats became a popular option. An air-operated leveling device could be installed at the rear for extra cost. Dual taillight units were featured for the fifth year.

1960 DODGE DART:

Dec 9, 1960

Dodge invaded the lower-priced market with a new strong contender called the Dart priced between $2,000 and $2,100. All Dodge cars had the unibody type of construction. Available at extra cost was a powerful new, ram-induction 383-cubic inch V-8 rated at 330 horsepower. Dodge surpassed 400,000 units in annual sales for the first time.

1962 DODGE DART 440

Dec 9, 1962

In the initial months of production, the Dodge line centered around the newly styled Dart on a wheelbase of 116 inches. Polara became a premium trim package for Dart. In May, 1962, a new 122-inch wheelbase line of Dodge cars called the 880 and Custom 880 with a 361-cubic inch standard V-8 engine was introduced.

1963 DODGE CUSTOM 880

Dec 9, 1963

Now in its second year as a big-car Dodge, the 880 was dressed in new front-end sheet metal. Overall body length was increased by 1.3 inches and a 383-cubic inch engine with two-barrel carburetor and single exhaust system made available as a power option. Dodge (along with other Chrysler cars) introduced airfoil windshield wipers as standard equipment.

1964 DODGE CUSTOM 880

Dec 13, 1964

Styling changes focused on a new roof, grille, and a broad horizontal treatment for the tail lamps. A Chrysler-designed four­speed manual transmission and a steering wheel that could be tilted into seven different positions were important new options.

1964 DODGE DART

Dec 13, 1964

A new 273-cubic inch V-8, the first for Dart, was introduced in the middle of the model year. It developed 180 horsepower at 4200 rpm and had a compression ratio of 8.8:1. A Dart was second highest among 45 cars and winner in its class for the 1964 Mobil gas Economy run at an average of 26.11 miles per gallon.

1965 DODGE CORONET 500

Dec 13, 1965

In a definite bid directed toward the intermediate size car market, Dodge introduced the Coronet, a new 117-inch wheelbase car that was five inches shorter than the previous year standard Dodge. The premium Coronet 500 had rear trim of its very own, and seven engines in all were offered.

1965 DODGE DART GT

Dec 13, 1965

A 235 horse­power, 273-cubic inch high-performance option was added to the Dart engine line­up for 1965. Two-door hardtops became available in the Dart 270 series, and Vinyl roof covering was a Dart GT option. The lower-line Dart series offered all-vinyl seating fabric as standard equipment.

1966 DODGE CHARGER:

Dec 13, 1966

The Charger became the second specialty car put into production by Chrysler Corporation that was based entirely on the fastback concept. It had a rather auspicious public announcement- - between halves of the 1966 Rose Bowl game. The Charger had head lamps that could be rotated out of view behind the grille, a single broad tail lamp, and individual, flip-down rear seats.