Joe and Jan Hicks

At the start of the 1920s, the Dodge Brothers Inc. was one of the stronger independent automobile manufacturers. From their humble beginnings in a machine shop making engines for curved-dash Oldsmobile’s, they soon started manufacturing most of the assembly parts of the earliest Fords on a subcontracting basis. The brothers started building the cars bearing their own names in 1914. (Dodge’s first dealer was Cumberland Motors of Nashville, Tennessee, which remained in business until the late ’60s, proudly advertising their status as “World’s First Dodge Dealer”.)

In 1920, after the death of both the Dodge brothers the widows made several pioneering moves to keep the company in profit, but ultimately considered they would be unable to run the business themselves in the face of stiff industry competition.

During this period of uncertainty, the straight 4 cylinder Dodge 4-door touring sedan was released to regain the lost automotive market share. In its production period from 1922-1927, the Dodge Four saw several changes in the Dodge management, which certainly acted as a barrier to its subsequent technical development.

Still the long standing public appeal and heritage of the Dodge 4×2 rear wheel drive front-motor car was enough to keep the company in profit despite the lack of innovative breakthroughs. The rugged dependability of the Dodge vehicles in the face of on-road adversity and its traditional styling created a throng of Dodge enthusiasts across the world.