1927 Dodge 'Buckboard' Roadster Utility

The Dodge brothers had made their fortune supplying Ford with engines and transmissions and such was their reputation that their first automobile, announced in 1914 for the 1915 model year, immediately leapt to third place in the sales race. After building some military vehicles in World War I, the Dodge brothers moved into civilian commercial vehicles in 1916 and teamed up with the Graham Brothers in the 1920s to build a range of body styles. Dodge began exporting cars to Australia in 1916, the first official dealership being S.A.Cheney of Adelaide and before long agencies had sprung up in all states. The ability of the Dodge to withstand punishment made the car popular in Australia and many were bodied locally by the likes of Holden. For 1927, innovations included a five main bearing crankshaft and four-point engine mounts but the four-cylinder Dodge otherwise remained largely as before. After the Dodge brothers died in 1920, the company was sold and gradually declined until sold to Chrysler in July 1928 and remains in integral part of this corporation to the present day.