1915 Dodge Brothers Model 30-35

The Dodge Brothers went from being the world's largest supplier of automobile parts to a very successful independent automobile manufacturer. The first Dodge automobile rolled out of the factory in November of 1914 and 370 examples were built by year's end. Initially offered solely as a touring car, a roadster joined the list the following year. The 110-inch wheelbase was powered by a four-cylinder engine with an L-head design, a 212.3 cubic-inch displacement, solid valve lifters, four main bearings, and delivering 35 horsepower at 2,000 RPM. The engine was backed by a three-speed selective sliding transmission with floor shift controls, 'back-to-front' gear change, and enclosed heat-treated vanadium gears. It used a 12-volt electrical system, electrical lighting, and an electric self-starter. A generator and starter were driven by a silent chain.

The price for the touring car was $785 in 1914 and remained unchanged for 1915. The roadster also listed for $785. Both body styles came with leather seats, folding tops, speedometers, windshields, and demountable wheel rims. The Roadster had a slanted rear deck with a storage compartment and a spare tire carrier. The Touring car weighed approximately 2,200 pounds, and the roadster slightly less, this due to the all-steel bodies by Budd (America's first mass-produced automobile with an all-steel body).

With approximately 45,000 examples produced during the year, Dodge ranked third among America's automakers.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2011