To mark the Centenary Anniversary of the foundation of Dodge, by brothers Horace and John, in 1914 this months Americana Thursday posts will feature five post ’45 Dodge models starting with today’s featured 1948 Dodge Deluxe Convertible.
When Dodge resumed production of private motor vehicles in 1945 like most manufacturers it turned to it’s 1942 designs with minor cosmetic alterations. The D24 1948 Dodge Deluxe Convertible, seen here at Summer Classics Easter Compton, is no exception being based on a design that can be traced back to 1940.
Power for the ’48 Deluxe models came from an L head 3.8 litre / 231 cui in line six which produced 100 reliable horsepower. Note the DVLA records for this car show it is fitted with a 5 litre / 302 cui motor of unspecified age and origin.
1948 D24 Dodges were available with 6 or 7 passenger sedan, 4 door town sedan, 2 door club coupe or convertible bodies supplied to Dodge by Briggs Manufacturing Company which was eventually purchased by Chrysler in 1953 after the death of Walter O. Briggs in 1952.
The success of the D24 models can be judged by the fact that 10 years after the model had stopped being produced they were still being used by taxi operators across the USA such was their comfort for fares and reliability for operators.
One of the innovations the series benefited from was Fluid Drive, a fluid clutch which meant a stick shift manual could be operated like an automatic requiring less clutch operation than a conventional friction clutch and no doubt contributed to the strap line “The Smoothest Car Afloat” which stayed with the Dodge D24 series from 1946 to 1949.
Production of the Dodge D24 Deluxe and sister Custom models peaked in 1948 at over 250,000 units, production of these models continued into the first three months of 1949 before they were replaced by an all new design.
Thanks for joining me on this “The Smoothest Car Afloat” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !
