1928 was a big year for the Dodge Brothers Company, even though the two brothers had been gone since 1920. There were several firsts for this car, a 1928 Dodge Brothers Victory Sedan, so it’s another in the Barn Finds Trivia series. The seller has it posted here on craigslist in Bartlesville, Oklahoma and they’re asking $11,500 or best offer. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Gunter K. for sending in this tip!
The year 1928 was huge for Dodge as the company went from being controlled by investment bankers to being a part of the brand-new Chrysler Corporation. There’s one piece of trivia related to this car. Another one is that the Victory series was meant to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the end of WWI. Yet another fun fact is that Dodge cars of 1928 were reportedly the first of any automaker, at least in the U.S., to have an all-new process to manufacture steel bodies as opposed to the wood/metal composite that had been the norm since the horse carriage days.
This car appears to be in nice condition other than some flaking paint around the body as shown in the photos. For those of you who are still with me, Budd Manufacturing out of Philadelphia made bodies for the Dodge boys, and one major advantage of all-steel bodies is that they could be baked after painting to speed the drying process. However, all of the welding could cause warping, and with no wood, it made it harder to finish the interiors.
Speaking of interiors, this one looks outstanding. Dodge was onto something as period literature related to this car says that it’s longer, wider, has more legroom, more headroom, and the doors are wider for easier access. The odometer shows 43,818 miles so someone used this car a fair amount and the seller says that this car is all original.
The engine is Dodge’s 208-cu.in. L-head inline-six, which would have had 58 horsepower when new. It’s backed by a three-speed manual sending power to the rear wheels, and the seller says that the engine isn’t currently running. We don’t know why, but I have to believe that most Barn Finds readers could have it running again in no time. Are there any fans of 1920s cars out there?
Thank you,Scotty! With you all the way!
I spent the lockdown learning to identify cars from the teens and twenties. I mean,c’mon, 1930s cars are just too easy!
If you are still with me, one of the additional pleasures in my pursuit was watching silent era comedies. What a playground of incredible cars. The stars often brought their own to the set: Fatty Arbuckle’s Renault roadster customized by Harley Earl-be still my heart! Chaplin’s crazy big Locomobile! Larry Semon’s immense McFarland!
And hey,where else are you going to see Charlie Chase race his new mid-twenties Duesenberg to catch up to Martha Sleeper in a Cunningham Phaeton? Where?
Thanks again,Scotty. Great write up.
I went to a cinema to see Safety Last on Saturday just passed.
Fantastic film, Derek!
And BTW: Harold Llyod blocking the way of a very creamy-colored Cunningham Phaeton. My hunch says it’s his.
Ha, thanks, Andy! I’m with you on 20s cars and even more so on those movies.
The reason it isn’t running is , while he was photographing it, the engine was turned off.
I really like the looks of this one, and a bit of cosmetic surgery would go a long way to make this a show car, or at least an excellent parade car.
If that interior is factory original, that right there makes this car amazing and worth it. A little touch on the paint, sort it out mechanically and enjoy.