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Official Site: Dodge.com
Wikipedia: Dodge Page Sections History Reference Desk Motorsports Documents Photographs Merchandise Article Index |
History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Dodge page on 13 January 2016, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Dodge is an American brand of cars, minivans, and sport utility vehicles manufactured by FCA US LLC (formerly known as Chrysler Group LLC), based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles presently include the lower-priced badge variants of Chrysler-badged vehicles as well as performance cars, though for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above Plymouth.
Founded as the Dodge Brothers Company by brothers Horace Elgin Dodge and John Francis Dodge in 1900, Dodge was originally a supplier of parts and assemblies for Detroit-based automakers and began building complete automobiles in 1915, predating the founding of Chrysler Corporation. The Dodge brothers died suddenly in 1920 and the company was sold to Dillon, Read & Co. in 1925 before being sold to Chrysler in 1928. Dodge vehicles mainly consisted of trucks and full-sized passenger cars through the 1970s, though it did make some inroads into the compact car market during this time.
Due to various market conditions, Dodge's first financial crisis, as a division of Chrysler, was averted in 1955, when Prudential gave them US$250 million; combined with the all new styling approach ushered in by Virgil Exner, Chrysler recovered and sales increased.
The 1973 oil crisis and its subsequent impact on the American automobile industry led Chrysler to develop the K platform of compact to midsize cars for the 1981 model year. The K platform and its derivatives are credited with reviving Chrysler's business in the 1980s; one such derivative became the Dodge Caravan.
The Dodge brand has withstood the multiple ownership changes at Chrysler from 1998 to 2009, including its short-lived merger with Daimler-Benz AG from 1998 to 2007, its subsequent sale to Cerberus Capital Management, its 2009 bailout by the United States government, and its subsequent Chapter 11 bankruptcy and acquisition by Fiat.
In 2011, Dodge, Ram, and Dodge's Viper were separated. Dodge said that the Dodge Viper will now be an SRT product and Ram will be a manufacturer. In 2014, SRT was merged back into Dodge. Later that year, Chrysler Group was renamed FCA US LLC, corresponding with the merger of Fiat S.p.A. and Chrysler Group into the single corporate structure of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Reference Desk
The Crittenden Automotive Library's "Reference Desk" is a collection of materials that cannot be shared due to copyright restrictions. Information from these resources, however, can be shared. Go to the Reference Desk page for more information.
| Type | Title |
|---|---|
1976  Book | 1976 Chrysler Plymouth Dodge Chassis-Body Service Manual; Chrysler Corporation |
| 1976 Book | 1976 Chrysler Plymouth Dodge Electrical Service Manual; Chrysler Corporation |
| 1982 Book | Mopar: The Performance Years by Martyn L. Schorr; Quicksilver |
| 1993 Book | Chrysler Muscle Cars by Mike Mueller; Motorbooks |
| 2006 Book | Standard Catalog of 1950's Chrysler by Jon G. Robinson; Krause Publications |
Motorsports
After a lengthy absence, Dodge returned to NASCAR competition in 1995 with the NASCAR SuperTruck Series by Craftsman (later the Craftsman Truck Series). In 2001 the Intrepid became Dodge's entry into NASCAR's top series, then called the Winston Cup.
In 2005, the Intrepid was replaced by the Charger. When the Car of Tomorrow was raced for a partial 2007 Nextel Cup season, the new car was the Avenger. It returned, however, to the Charger the following year.
Championships Won in Dodges
| Year | Series | Driver | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | NASCAR Grand National | David Pearson | Charger |
| 1970 | NASCAR Grand National | Bobby Isaac | Charger |
| 1974 | NASCAR Winston Cup | Richard Petty | Charger |
| 1975 | NASCAR Winston Cup | Richard Petty | Charger |
| Date | Document Name & Details | Documents |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 1974 Dodge School Bus Chassis Dodge | Topic Page - 6 pages |
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Subject: 1919 Dodge Brothers Touring 5
Source: Hand Book of Automobiles, 1919 Edition View Dodge Brothers Touring 5 page of Hand Book of Automobiles, 1919 Edition - 440KB |
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Subject: 1919 Dodge Brothers Full Panel Delivery
Source: Hand Book of Automobiles, 1919 Edition View Dodge Brothers Full Panel Delivery page of Hand Book of Automobiles, 1919 Edition - 671KB |
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Subject: Shirley G. Myers 1929 Dodge Advertisement
Source: The Ludington Daily News, 24 May 1929 View photo of 1929 Dodge Shirley G. Myers Ad - 1.4MB |
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Subject: 1938 Dodge Sonja Henie/Happy Landing Advertisement
Source: The Saturday Evening Post View photo of 1938 Dodge Sonja Henie/Happy Landing Advertisement - 10.0MB |
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Subject: 1939 Dodge Tow Truck
Photographer: Bill Crittenden Event: 2010 The Cars Time Forgot Car Show View photo of 1939 Dodge Tow Truck - 4,433KB |
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Subject: 1939 Dodge Tow Truck
Photographer: Bill Crittenden Event: 2010 The Cars Time Forgot Car Show View photo of 1939 Dodge Tow Truck - 3,286KB |
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Subject: 1941 Dodge Advertisement
View photo of 1941 Dodge Advertisement - 20.5MB |
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Subject: Dodge in Guaimaro, Cuba
Photographer: Chandler Cruttenden View photo of Dodge in Cuba - 1.6MB |
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Subject: Dodge truck in Cuba
Photographer: Chandler Cruttenden View photo of Dodge Truck in Cuba - 2.7MB |
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Subject: Borg-Warner 1954 Dodge Advertisement
Source: The Saturday Evening Post View image of Borg-Warner 1954 Dodge Advertisement - 22.8MB |
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Subject: Dodge Truck Scale Model
Photographer: Bill Crittenden Event: July 2010 Meeting of C.A.R.S. in Miniature Model Build Info: Built by Bob Deneen View photo of Dodge Truck Scale Model - 4,147KB |
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Subject: Dodge Truck Scale Model
Photographer: Bill Crittenden Event: July 2010 Meeting of C.A.R.S. in Miniature Model Build Info: Built by Bob Deneen View photo of Dodge Truck Model - 4,117KB |
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Subject: Dodge Truck Scale Model
Photographer: Bill Crittenden Event: July 2010 Meeting of C.A.R.S. in Miniature Model Build Info: Built by Bob Deneen View photo of Dodge Truck Model - 4,081KB |
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Subject: 1963 Dodge Station Wagon Scale Model
Photographer: Bill Crittenden Event: 2012 Classic Plastic View photo of 1963 Dodge Station Wagon Model - 2.1MB |
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Subject: 1963 Dodge Station Wagon Scale Model
Photographer: Bill Crittenden Event: 2012 Classic Plastic View photo of 1963 Dodge Station Wagon Model - 2.1MB |
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Subject: 1963 Dodge Station Wagon Scale Model
Photographer: Bill Crittenden Event: 2012 Classic Plastic View photo of 1963 Dodge Station Wagon Model - 2.1MB |
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Subject: Weathered 1964 Dodge Scale Model Car
Photographer: Bill Crittenden Event: Attack of the Plastic Model Car Contest View photo of Weathered 1964 Dodge Scale Model Car - 3,134KB |
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Subject: Weathered 1964 Dodge Scale Model Car
Photographer: Bill Crittenden Event: 2009 Summer NNL View photo of Weathered 1964 Dodge Scale Model Car - 3,169KB |
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Subject: Hemi engine with Cross-Ram Intake
Photographer/Source: John Walczak Location: Private museum of Greg & Kathy Mosley View photo of Hemi engine with Cross-Ram Intake - 1.6MB |
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Subject: Dodge Stock Car Scale Model
Photographer: Bill Crittenden Location/Event: 2009 Attack of the Plastic Model Car Contest View photo of Dodge Stock Car Model - 663KB |
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Subject: Dodge Race Car Display
Photographer: Bill Crittenden Event: 2004 Chicago Auto Show View photo of Dodge Race Car Display - 690KB |
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Subject: Early 1980s "America's Driving Machines" Dodge Advertisement
View photo of Dodge Early 1980's Magazine Ad - 22.1MB |
| Type & Item # | Name | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Model Kit - Jo-Han GC-2864 | '64 Dodge Super Stock Drag | 1:25 scale, "Re-Charged" |
| Model Kit - Testors 452 | Dodge 426 Hemi | 1:4 scale |
