1930 Dodge Brothers Series DC

Horace and John Dodge quickly established a reputation for their products as having high-quality at a fair price. They early history includes supplying transmissions for the Olds Motor Works and later for supplying Henry Ford with engines, transmissions and axles.

Their success in components industry naturally led to building a car of their own. By late 1914, their Dodge Brothers cars could be found in showrooms. Their cars had conventional design and were well-built. Power was from a 35-horsepower engine which was more than the Ford Model T's 22 horsepower unit. They outfitted their cars with a plethora of standard equipment and offered it at a competitive price.

The Dodge cars ranked second in American sales in 1920. Tragedy was just on the horizon. John Dodge passed away from pneumonia in early 1920. Horace died in December from cirrhosis. Ownership of the Dodge Brothers Company passed to the brothers' windows, who promoted employee Frederick Haynes to company president. A few years later, in 1925, the company was sold to Dillon, Read & Company. Three years later it was acquired by Walter P. Chrysler and became part of his evolving automotive empire.

There were many body styles shared between the lines, though the Phaeton was exclusive to the DC line and carried a price of $1,225. It was the most expensive car produced by Dodge in 1930 and only 234 buyers were found. The economy was struggling, as the world entered the Great Depression. Many fortunes were lost; meaning the quantity of capable buyers dwindled greatly. The low production numbers of the Phaeton is understandable.

This DC Phaeton is finished in tan with a matching tan canvas top. It is accented by orange wire wheels and side mounted spare tire. In 2007 it was brought to Carmel, California where it was offered for sale at Bonhams auction, An Important Sale of Collectors' Motorcars and Automobilia, and estimated to sell for $35,000 - $40,000. A buyer willing to satisfy the cars reserve was not found, and the lot was unsold.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2008

Horace and John Dodge had a precision machining company in Detroit in 1900 and soon found work producing engine and chassis components for Olds Motor Vehicle and Ford Motor Company, among others. They built a strong reputation for quality and became very successful. In 1914, they decided to enter the car market with their new vehicle, the Model 30. It had the industry's first all-steel body, 12-volt electrical system and a sliding gear transmission. It took reached much success, reaching 2nd place in U.S. sales by 1916. When both brothers tragically passed away in 1920, the company passed into the control of investment bankers and was then acquired by Chrysler in 1928.

The Dodge brand was positioned in the Chrysler lineup above DeSoto. A new 221 cubic-inch 8-cylinder engine offering 75 horsepower was introduced in 1930. Only a limited number of these 8-cylinder cars were built from 1930 and 1933.

Dodge had planned to introduce its straight eight engine in the 1929 model year, but decided to delay it due to the stock market crash. The engine produced 75 horsepower compared with 61 horsepower for the Dodge Six. The roadster was one of the straight eight offerings for 1930, but in limited numbers from 1930 through 1933 when the engine was replaced by a larger six cylinder, which generated 82 horsepower.

Dodge decided to go up-market in 1929 - in retrospect a bad decision. Dodge's first straight eight engine-powered cars had been scheduled for introduction in 1929, but that was delayed by the stock market crash. The eight-cylinder roadster was built in limited numbers from 1930 to 1933.

This roadster features an all-steel body by Budd (most manufacturers still used composite wood-metal bodies). The new eight cylinder engine developed 75 horsepower.

This car is painted in Cigarette Yellow with black and vermillion trim. These were the factory show colors and this model is believed to be one of the cars displayed at the annual auto shows. The body of this car was built by the Budd Company and is all steel; most manufactures of this era still used composite wood and metal bodies. Budd had produced steel bodies as early as 1901 for the Eastman Steamer. This, however had an all-wood frame.