Finding a classic with almost a century under its belt and only 48,000 miles on the clock is a rare treat, but those are the claims the seller makes about this 1934 Dodge Deluxe. It presents impressively as a turnkey car, ready for action with its next owner behind the wheel. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder NW Iowa Kevin for spotting the Dodge listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for $25,000.
Dodge introduced its new DR Series Deluxe in January 1934, with the final cars leaving the line in November of the same year. The company offered three body styles, although buyers could purchase a mechanically complete chassis for a coachbuilder to add a personalized body. This Deluxe is a Sedan variant, listed by the seller on behalf of his uncle as a largely original, unrestored classic. However, they also mention a repaint in a shade of Green which doesn’t match any of the standard 1934 shades on that year’s Dodge color chart. Therefore, many readers will not consider this car a survivor in the truest sense of the term. Beyond that, it presents extremely well, with no significant cosmetic shortcomings. The panels are straight, the paint features a period-correct glow, rather than a mirror shine, and the trim and glass are in good condition.
It is disappointing that the seller provides no engine bay images, but they do offer excellent information beyond the mileage claim. The car features its original 217.8ci flathead six, bolted to a three-speed manual transmission. The flathead wasn’t a bad motor, producing 82hp to deliver respectable performance in a 1934 context. What makes this classic interesting is its functional “freewheeling” transmission system. It let the transmission disengage on downhill runs to save fuel and also provided clutchless shifting. However, some states banned the system because they deemed it a safety hazard. What makes it so fascinating is that it emerged at a time when the relevant authorities weren’t focused on vehicle safety, suggesting that the freewheeling system caused a few problems. The seller says that the Dodge recently received new brakes, and that the Firestone whitewalls are fairly new. Potential buyers can enjoy this classic immediately, because it runs and drives extremely well.
We’ve recently seen a few classics with substandard interior shots, and this Dodge continues that theme. However, if we piece together the supplied images, they paint a positive picture. The cloth-upholstered surfaces appear excellent, with no significant wear or stains. The dash paint is scuffed from over ninety years of use, but the condition is acceptable for a survivor with that type of history. The speedometer features a clear lens and crisp markings, and this Dodge seals its “Deluxe” designation, courtesy of the factory radio.
I don’t believe it is fair to describe this 1934 Dodge Deluxe as a genuine survivor, because I do believe it received a color change at some point. Some readers will also question the odometer reading, but I tend to take such claims at face value if the seller doesn’t mention any verifying evidence. Such is the case here, so it is best to assess the car on its merits. Its presentation is impressive, with no genuine cosmetic shortcomings or rust issues. It is a turnkey proposition, allowing the buyer to indulge in immediate classic motoring pleasure. Is it worth the asking price? I believe that it is, but do you agree?
First and foremost, an amazing find. What a beautiful example here. Okay, it’s not the Buick, but at nearly 1/3 the cost,($646) it wan’t intended to be. This, if lucky, was what the person that worked for the person that had the Buick, drove. A family car that more than proved itself every Sunday. This car actually incorporated many modern features, like 4 wheel hydraulic brakes, and synchromesh trans, it should be an easy car to drive. Still, you’d think a big seller, yet I read only about 53,000 were sold in 1934. Ford and Chevy the big sellers there.
Great find, complete with “suicide doors”, although, there’s no real evidence they were actually used for that. The radio, which what we see is just the tuner dial, the rest of the radio ( the size of a small box) was under the dash,and a pricey option, about $160. That “box” hanging off the back, a little overkill, but before cars had integral trunks, they were hung off the back. This one seems a bit extreme, but mom never packed light. Again, like all these, not something to use everyday, I just wonder if there is still a market for something like this. The up side, if you could call it that, with folks my age passing on, they are leaving behind some wonderful cars.
Side note: I never knew that about some states banning free wheeling devices, 13 in all, all eastern states. O/D seemed to escape that, and it required a car to mechanically be “in gear” at all times. Loss of engine braking and overheated brakes was the alleged result. Sounds kind of silly to me. I bet the Europeans, that had many free wheeling cars, got a laugh out of that one.
I think you will find that synchromesh was only on second and third gears.
The DR had independent front suspension as well.
The “Duck Bill” back below the trunk in the photo came out in the 33 DP. Prior to that the lower part of the body curved around the opposite way back into the car. Internal fold down sun visors were released in 32.
There is more to the freewheel. Chrysler released it in 1932. Along with that was a selectable vacuum clutch operable from a large knob on the dashboard. It uses a vacuum cylinder about 4″ diameter and 5″ long. The gearbox clutch shaft comes out each side of the bell housing. Depending on whether the car is LHD or RHD the clutch pedal is fitted to one side and the vacuum cylinder on the other. A vacuum diverting valve is fitted above the carburettor so when you back off the accelerator vacuum is sent to the cylinder and it pulls the clutch in. Along with the freewheel the car became clutchless and gear changes were the same as having synchromesh as there was no load on the gearbox whether any of the gears were synchromesh or not. You don’t have to put your foot on the clutch pedal when stationary.
However, there was a refinement in 1934. Prior to that, the vacuum valve has to be set up for your driving style meaning that every acceleration from stop had to be the same as otherwise the clutch would slip or engine stall. The refinement was that a second valve was fitted and it had a pendulum inside. The pendulum is placed in line with the longitudinal axis of the car. As the car accelerated the pendulum would move according to the amount of acceleration and adjust the amount of vacuum. How brilliant were those Chrysler engineers?
A factory 8-passenger DR Limo is in the Australian club.
This car is in the segment of the market where prices seem to be colapsing. No matter how nice, is it capable of pulling $25,000 or close to it?
Steve R
Wow! Haven’t seen one of these
in over 50 years since I saw a roadster version of this car in an issue of Rod & Custom’s Street Rod Quarterly magazine in 1972 (?) and that car too was all dolled up with all the bells and whistles you could get in ’34. In it’s day, this one had to be a display model for a Dodge dealership back then. Dealers often put DeLuxe versions of their
product in the showroom window
to boost foot traffic at a time when work was hard to find and the economy was in the toilet. And if you saw one of these cars
Back then, you stopped, admired it, and you dreamed of the day that you could own something like it someday. And if this car were taken to Old Town, you’d definitely have a lot people’s attention as they walked by it or
saw it tooling down the street on
cruise nights. And like the ’30 Buick, the print potential on this car would be enormous even though that shade of green would
be hsrd to duplicate. And with all
that being said, it’s a really nice car that could also use a Tommy gun.
WOW! Sweet ride and pretty fancy for the time, dual fender mount spares w/mirrors and that huge trunk on the back. Freewheeling is an overrunning clutch, like on a tractor, would make for a scary ride here in western Va. We always talk about waning interest in these depression era cars, so is the price a little high? Maybe not if all you have to do is drive it every chance you get!
This is an absolutely beautiful Dodge. I’d be happy to own it. A lot of hours must have gone into it’s restoration, and the work has held up well. That being said, I’ll second what Steve R said about the price. It’ll be interesting to see what it sells for.
Beautiful car but lousy pics. How hard would it have been to drive it out and snap a few?
Most likely doesn’t run, OR, not enough youngsters around to give it a push start.
these are a hard sell. you need the right person that really wants this era of car.
You could fill that trunk up and pop some wheelies!
Looks like the Bonnie & Clyde car.
I like the 1930 Buick better. When I was young, and there were lots of 1924-1938 cars on the roads, this particular era did not “thrill” me. I liked those that were 1930 and earlier, and 1938 and later. But I just couldn’t warm up to the style in-between.