1936 Dodge Series D-2

John and Horace Dodge established their precision machine shop in 1900 in Detroit and within a short period of time were producing engine and chassis components for Olds Motor Vehicle and Ford Motor Company among others. By 1913, the Dodge Brothers began building their own automobile, and the timing coincided with Henry Ford's decision to move production of his cars' components in-house. The first Dodge Brothers car was delivered on 14 November 1914, and the company quickly became known for its fine engineering at a modest price. Initially, only a single model was offered - a five-passenger touring priced at a reasonable $785. Although not known for being particularly innovative, the Dodge Brothers were the first to use an all-steel, all-welded body in large-scale production. By 1920, the company placed second in industry sales, behind its former employer Ford.

When both brothers passed away in 1920, the company was left to their wives. By 192, the company had fallen to fifth place in sales. The company was then sold to the New York banking house Dillon, Reed & Company for $146 million, a record-setting transaction at the time. DR&C would in turn sell to Walter P. Chrysler in 1928, who established the marque as its Dodge Division.

The 1936 Dodge models included the Series D-2, Series D-3, and the D-4. The D-2 was powered by an L-head six-cylinder engine displacing 217.8 cubic inches and delivered 87 horsepower. The engine was mated to a three-speed selective sliding gear transmission, and there were hydraulic brakes and steel artillery spoke wheels. The exterior had a rounded radiator grille and torpedo-shaped headlamps. Two wheelbase sizes were available including 116- and 128-inches. Standard equipment included the hydraulic brakes, a built-in footrest in the rear compartment, Autolite ignition, and a new instrument panel with a large speedometer in the center.

Bodystyles included a 5- and 7-passenger sedan, a convertible sedan, a touring sedan, a 2-door sedan, a business coupe, a rumble seat coupe, and a convertible coupe. The U.S. Body & Forging Company built the Westchester Suburban station wagon on the Dodge chassis.

For 1936, Dodge was ranked in fourth place in U.S. model year production.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2019