Without any doubt all high-speed car enthusiasts know about the legendary Dodge Challenger, the superfast Dodge Viper; and even the ancient 1924 Dodge Roadster brings a smile to a face of each and every American. But few people can now describe how the Old Betsy looked like though it used to be one of the most mass-produced cars of the pre-war period. A forgotten hero of the 19th century. We will certainly come back to the Dodge supercars but meanwhile…
Two brothers came into the world in a small American town Niles, Michigan. In 1864 John was born into the family of the British immigrants and descendants of railway employees. Four years later in 1868 his brother Horace was born. The red-haired boys with some Jewish blood were laying emphasis on their independence throughout their whole lives. They were inseparable and died within one year of each other. Looks like nothing special so far. Except for the fact that the Dodge brothers created a brand, which became the symbol of the national car manufacturing and, it is hardly too much to say, the heritage of the American society.
Once they saw their classmate riding an expensive penny-farthing with its front wheel 5 times bigger than the rear wheel. The bicycle excited envy and the Dodge brothers decided to construct their own mechanical wonder. So they set to work using the waste left in their father’s railway workshop and the storage of the house closet. The boys were really proud of their “invention” as it was functioning not worse than the original variant sold at the price of $200.
After that the Dodges began their way to the top of car manufacturing from their small bicycle workshop. The young geniuses spent their whole days there inventing something new and repairing everything from phones to sanitary equipment.
Success came in 1901 at the first Detroit auto show where John and Horace presented a one-cylinder Oldsmobile engine invented by them. In March of the same year they produced a two-speed gearbox which became the most recent engineering development. Two years later Henry Ford signed a contract with two brothers for the delivery of a batch of two-cylinder engines ready-fitted with transmission. But the brothers’ independent character became evident in 1913. They decided to create their own automobile company saying that they were «tired of being carried around in Henry Ford's vest pocket.» The news came as a bombshell — famous suppliers of high quality engines were themselves going to produce cars.
John took up the post of the director and Horace became vice-president. But they owned the company on equal terms. Dodge Brothers Incorporated was founded on November 17, 1914 and only 5 months later the Old Betsy revealed itself stirring up the whole world just when rolling off the production line. A good-looking car with forms rather elegant for a truck impressed 22 000 dealers who wished to sign a contract for this model long before the official release date. Though of course there were a few little secrets. While creating their first model, the Dodge brothers made a few presentations and “warmed up” the dealer network all over the country. In addition they headlined the event in press and launched a full scale advertising campaign. It all created a huge boom in the society.
So it was the time for the 50-year old John and 46-year old Horace to present their first Dodge Model 30 car which was later jocosely called Old Betsy. The car caused a furore. A 4-cylinder engine producing 35 hp was developed by Horace personally. A revolutionary all-metal body was the idea of John, who had never trusted wood material which was popular at that time. Betsy had an electric starter, headlights and even a speedometer. And though the model was $300 more expensive than the Ford Model A, which had invaded the country, it was much more advanced in the technical and security aspects than its competitor.
Within the next few weeks the brothers received more than 70 000 orders. By hitting the target of producing 249 cars till the end of the year, the Dodge brothers made up fully for the idea of a “truck for all occasions”. In 1915 more than 45 000 Dodge cars left the factory gates. In 1916 the model was improved and it became the first car with all-metal body produced by the Budd company both in open and closed variants. By 1919 more than 100 000 cars had been sold by Dodge Brothers Incorporated.
From the very first kilometres made by the Old Betsy it earned the reputation of a reliable and solid vehicle. The brothers created an amazingly practical car which was also surprisingly cost-effective. Old Betsy turned out to be maintenance-friendly and durable. But its uniqueness lied not only in the newest technologies of the 19th century. Its body parts were exclusive. You will never find this brand badge on any Dodge produced after the war. On the radiator top tank Betsy had an emblem with the Earth as a background and the Star of David over it. The Dodge brothers had never forgotten their roots and that is why their creation was proudly wearing the symbol of their ancestors.
The beauty and pithiness of the Dodge brand was manifest throughout the whole model range. Old Betsy absorbed the technological novelties of that time including some features of Ford standardization and flow production assembly line model. Henry Ford even laid some claims to the brothers but all of them got dissolved in court like intrusive clouds in the America’s clear sky.
John and Horace Dodge were traditionalists. They believed in tough-mindedness and the honest dollar cost and that is why they never thought about creating a sports car. The history of the Dodge race supercars with their unrivalled power and charisma was floating in the air of the next decades, but meanwhile the Americans were admiring the cute Betsy with heroic patriotism.
It was the most desirable car of the century. Like a Detroit lady, Betsy was familiar to everyone. Thoroughly thought-out elegant cabriolet was perfect not only for the ordinary life but also became a real soldier on the fighting line of America. Legends can be composed about the heroism of this Dodge. But it’s utterly difficult to find any information about it. For example, two different sources describe the adventures of Old Betsy in the same World War I event.
Also in 1916 in Mexico the US army conducted a military operation against Pancho Villa. It was headed by Lieutenant George S. Patton. His regiment used Dodge cars forming the first “motorized cavalry”, as you can call it nowadays.
Whether both the General and the Lieutenant served in the same division is unknown. But 250 airplanes with Dodges on-board landed near the Mexican border.
The Dodge company supported the US army till the World War II offering their cars under the slogan “Dependable”. The first Dodge trucks were used as command and medical vehicles. Old Betsy model withstood all trials saving a lot of lives. The Great Depression, which threw the thriving economy into the depth of a bank crisis, became the final point for the elegant cabriolet. The majority of automakers were at a loss. But even in such circumstances Old Betsy was taking the second place after the Ford company due to its reasonable price and low maintenance costs. And even during the car sale inactivity period Old Betsy was the fourth after Chevrolet, Ford and the sisters little-known to us — DeSoto and Plymouth.
Each and every American watching the first Detroit Lady go by reached out to take off a black stovepipe hat demonstrating respect and affection.
Maria Kovalyuk for Dragtimes.ru
Photo: alldayplus.ru, landavto.com, strand-cafe-lang.de, siriusauto.com.ua, mattsuess.com, conceptcarz.com
