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John and Horace Dodge completed their first vehicle.

Informally known as 'Old Betsy' it had its first test drive that same day.

This first Dodge motor vehicle drove through the streets of Detroit, Michigan before being delivered to a buyer in Tennessee.

business beginnings

	... started as bicycle manufacturers in 1897 which expanded into stove parts...

The brothers had started as bicycle manufacturers in 1897 which expanded into stove parts in 1901 and shortly after car parts.

They built part for Ransom Olds and Henry Ford amongst others.

This meant by 1910 they were the largest producer of car parts in the US.

In 1914 they formed Dodge Brothers Motor Car Company with the intention of building an entire vehicle.

Horace Dodge was responsible for a number of innovations including an oven that could bake enamel onto steel auto bodies.

The Dodge brand became known for their sturdy and solid construction.

All this made the brothers two of the richest people in the US by 1919.

the end

	... their success was to be relatively short-lived.

However their success was to be relatively short-lived.

In early 1920 John Dodge had just finished the work on a 110 room mansion on Grosse Point waterfront when he fell ill with breathing problems.

He died shortly afterwards.

It was in that same year that his brother, who also suffered respiratory problems died in December of pneumonia.

chrysler

The company they had created was sold to a New York Bank and in 1928 Chrysler bought the Dodge name.

Lambert & Butler, Motor Cars [1922]

Walter P Chrysler had resigned as an executive of General Motors in 1920 and after a brief stint at Willys-Overland in which time he restored financial stability he moved in to Maxwell Motor Company.

In 1924 with the help of 3 engineers the Chrysler Six hit the market selling 32,000 in the first year.

1925 is when Maxwell Motor became Chrysler Corporation.

The purchase of Dodge was a significant increase in size and was the year the Plymouth and DeSoto was introduced.

	ON THIS DAY...
	Motor Cars

In 1933 Chrysler out sold Ford for the first time.