1934 Dodge Series DR Deluxe

The year is best remembered for Chrysler's daring - and ultimately disastrous - Airflow adventure, a design departure that never trickled down to the Dodge division. As a consequence, the 1934 Dodge lineup was typical of early 1930s styling, with flowing fenders softening the rectilinear lines of the vertical grille and straight-sided body panels. But Chrysler had already established itself as an engineering company, and the 1934 Dodge lineup shared some corporate technical highlights.

Chrysler had been first with the Hydraulic brakes, for example, a Chrysler first in 1928, and synchromesh transmission, in 1933. The 1934 Dodges rolled out with a new independent front suspension system, though it was discontinued in 1934 and didn't reappear until 1939. There was also an unusual lever-operated two-way vent window, which also disappeared after the 1934 model year. There were three trim levels and eight body styles in the Dodge lineup for 1934, all propelled by the same 3.7-liter flathead inline six-cylinder engine rated for 87 horsepower. Two convertibles were offered, a sedan and a coupe. Between them they accounted for just 1,589 units in Dodge division's total passenger car production for 1934, most of the (1,239) convertible coupes.

The current owners of this example acquired the car in 1997, responding to an ad in New Hampshire. The car is currently painted turquoise, which was not in the Dodge palette for 1934.

For 1934, the Dodge Series DR Deluxe was restyled and given a more streamlined and modern appearance. In the front was a new V-type radiator with skirted fenders in both the front and the rear. There were several hood louvers of descending length and large bullet-shaped chrome plated headlamps. The list of standard equipment included Delco-Remy ignition, hydraulic brakes, and a new independent front suspension. The car rested on an X-type frame and rode on steel spoke wheels. They had dual horns and a new 'leaping ram' type hood ornament.

The standard engine was an L-head six-cylinder unit that displaced 217.8 cubic-inches and offered 82 horsepower. An option high-compression engine offered a slight increase in horsepower, rated at 87 BHP. The DR Series had a selective sliding three-speed manual gearbox with floor shift controls and a single plate dry disc clutch.

Several bodystyles were available, with the most popular being the 4-door sedan with seating for five passengers. A total of 53,479 examples were sold. The second most popular bodystyle was the business coupe, which found 8,723 eager customers.

By Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2013

Sold for $82,500 at 2010 RM Auctions - Sports & Classics of Monterey.
Sold for $46,200 at 2014 Gooding & Company - The Scottsdale Auction.
The new-for-1934 Dodge DR-Series models had a sleek and stylish design and robust engineering. The well-equipped DR Deluxe line was popular with nearly 77,000 examples produced in 1934. Hydraulic brakes and a new independent front suspension were further advantages. Priced from just $665 when new, the five-model DR Deluxe series was supplemented by the lower-production base-model DRXX and extended-wheelbase DS variants.

5,323 examples of the 2/4-Passenger Coupes were built and many have since been modified by hot-rodders of the period. This particular example is in unmodified form. It has had just four owners from new had has less than 28,500 miles from new. It was purchased new by Richard J. Duncalf of Renton, Washington, and used sparingly by him until 1974, when the Dodge passed to his son who traded the car at Tacoma Dodge for a new model. Stan Long and Al Sandine, co-owners of Tacoma Dodge, retained the DR for their collection and soon had it correctly repainted and re-upholstered in the original Medium Brown.

Many years later, Art Astor was eventually able to acquire the car. Under Mr. Astor's care, the DR was properly stored, maintained, and given regular but limited exercise until August of 2008, when the current owner (a Sacramento-based individual) acquired the car.

Power is from a 218 cubic-inch L-head six-cylinder engine breathing through a Stromberg EX-22 single-barrel downdraft carburetor. The 82 horsepower produced by the engine is sent to the rear wheels via a three-speed manual transmission. The car has an independent front suspension, a live rear axle, and 4-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2014