Dodge D8 Sedan

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Founded by brothers Horace Elgin Dodge and John Francis Dodge as the Dodge Brothers Company in 1900 to supply parts and assemblies for Detroit’s growing auto industry, Dodge began making its own complete vehicles in 1914.

By 1920, Dodge Brothers cars ranked second place in American sales, however, following the sudden death of both brothers that year, the Company passed into the control of long-time employee Frederick Haynes who became company president. Dillon, Read & Co then acquired Dodge in 1925, but a couple of years later sales had dropped to seventh place in the industry and so the brand was sold to the Chrysler Corporation in 1928.

The company’s products fitted into the middle of a range which featured Plymouth at the bottom and Chrysler at the top with Dodge and DeSoto being the mid-priced brands. The famous Dodge ram bonnet mascot was introduced at this time. Traditionally Dodge had always made rather conservatively styled and boxy vehicles but in 1935 the range was restyled in the so-called ‘Wind Stream’ look, a more curvaceous streamlined look which saw sales jump remarkably and still looks very seductive today.

The Dodge D8 was launched in October 1937 as a 1938 model, to replace the earlier D5. It retained the side-valve six-cylinder in-line 3,569cc engine of the earlier car, with an output of 87bhp at 3,600rpm, giving the car repectable performance for its day. Transmission was via a single dry plate clutch and three-speed gearbox to the rear wheels. If desired, a semi-automatic (automatically actuated by vacuum coupling) was available.

The D8 series was available either in short (2,921 mm) or long wheelbase (3,353 mm) the latter carrying a seven-seater touring sedan or a five-seat Pullman limousine body. Dodge (along with the rest of Chrysler) added safety features such as a smooth, flat dashboard with no protruding knobs, curved in door handles, and padded front-seat backs for the benefit of the rear-seat occupants. The D8 was in production for just one year before being replaced by the Dodge Luxury Liner in October 1938.

According to various American Certificates of Title in the history file, this 1938 Dodge D8 Sedan was resident in California throughout the 1970s and 80s, moving to Mississippi in the early 1990s where John Saunders acquired it for his collection in 1993. Shipping and customs forms on file show that it was imported to the UK in March 1993 with all duties paid but it has never been UK registered. On display at the Museum for the last 22 years, it has been kept in running order but will doubtless benefit from thorough recommissioning before use.