1930 Dodge

edited by David Barth, 30 January 2009.
Courtesy The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Photos were taken in January 2009.

John and Horace Dodge began by supplying R. E. Olds and Henry Ford with engines and transmissions. Later, they also supplied axles to Henry Ford. As suppliers and stockholders in the Ford Motor Company, the Dodge brothers made a fortune. By 1913, Ford was moving towards self-sufficiency. In 1914, the brothers becasme tired of working to Ford's specifications, and began producing cars theat met their own standards. The company reached second place in total sales in 1920, which is also the year that both Dodge brothers passed away. Their windows then sold the company in 1925. In 1928, Dodge Brothers was bought by Walter P. Chrysler to add to his Chrysler Corporation.

This car was acquired by John and Pamela Johnson of Avon, Ohio in 1977. In 1979, the Johnsons undertook a complete frame-off restoration of the car, working in collaboration with Sterling Coach Restorations of Pickering, Ohio. After more than 3 years and $15,000, the restoration was complete. The engine was completely restored as well as all the sheet metal and interior trim. The wooden artillery wheels are original, and were refunished. The car was painted Marquise Blue and black. It was driven only for pleasure and was entered in car shows. From 1982 to 1984, the car received numerous judging class awards from the Antique Automobile Club of America. When the car was donated to the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in 1991, only 336 miles were on the odometer.

Model: DD Six
Body Style: Business Coupe
Original Factory Price: $835
Brake Horsepower: 61
Displacement: 189.8 cubic inches
Bore: 3 1/8 inches
Stroke: 4 1.8 inches
Cylinders: 6, in-line
Wheelbase: 109 inches
Manufacturer: Dodge Brothers Corporation, a division of the Chrysler Corporation
Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA

Donor: John and Pamela Johnson