Dodge
The story began in 2006
when Dodge revealed the Challenger concept. It is because of that day, I’m in
love with cars and Dodge to be specific. The 2006 Challenger concept was
created to match the 1970 Challenger exterior, but with modern features and
specifications. Since that day my love towards Dodge increases day by day.
History of Dodge:
The name Dodge was taken
from the two creators of this big company; the Dodge Brothers, John and
Horace Dodge. The history of how the Dodge Company was established is amazing. The
company used to build transmissions at the beginning of the 20th century.
In 1903 it became the major supplier for Ford Company. Mainly, they used to
supply engines, transmission and axles Dodge Brothers helped Ford in redesigning
some parts. Dodge Brothers helped Ford financial as well. Therefore, Dodge
Brothers gained a stake in Ford Company. Dodge brothers started to gain profit by
producing parts for Ford and from the a stake that they had in Ford Company.
Then, Henry Ford started to make his own factory to build parts in order to
replace Dodge Brothers. Dodge Brothers took the chance to build their first
car. Dodge Brothers knew all the weaknesses in Ford’s cars. They built way
better and improved cars, but they still got benefit from the stake they had
in Ford. The first Dodge Brothers’ car which rolled of the production line was
in 1914. Henry Ford was not happy that Dodge Brothers got their share and used it in building cars. He stopped paying the dividends to Dodge. They sued Ford
and got $19 million back. Dodge Brothers sold their shares in Ford getting $25
million. In 1920 John and Horace died due to pneumonia. In the same year, Dodge Brothers’ company was the 2nd selling company in America. Then
Dodge Brothers’ wives took over the company expanding and improving the
production till 1925. In 1925 the company was sold to Dillon Read for $146
million. This was the largest transaction in the history at that point. Then
Chrysler bought Dodge Brothers in the late 1920's for $170 million. In 1935 the
company stopped being called Dodge Brothers; it started to be called Dodge. In
1998, Chrysler which owned Dodge officially ended. A portion of what remained was bought by Fiat which renamed itself to Fiat Chrysler.
Dodge Parts:
Mopar is the name for
the parts manufacturer that is responsible for Chrysler. Mopar supplies
replacements, performance and racing parts to Dodge. In 2009, Mopar revealed its
first drag racing car; it is called Challenger Drag Pack. In 2010, it produced
its first production car which is called Challenger Mopar’10.
Dodge in Victories and
wins:
The first Dodge entered
NASCAR event was 1950. In 1953 Dodge got its first victory in Palm Springs,
Florida by Lee Petty. In the same year Dodge broke stock car records at Salt
Flat. In the following year it won The Mobile Economy Run. The Mobile Economy
Run is a competition for getting the highest mileage. In 1969, Dodge won 22
NASCAR Grand National Races. Dodge Challenger T/A was introduced to compete
against Camaro and Mustang in Trans Am circuit, but never won. In the same year
Dodge broke the 200 mph on a closed course. In 1974, the Daytona 500 was won
by a Dodge Charger. NASCAR was giving Dodge a hard time in racing. It pulled them
out in 1965. It also stopped them from using a big black engine. When Ford
offered a semi HEMI engine to NASCAR, it accepted it. When Dodge offered their
HEMI engine NASCAR refused it and pulled Ford’s semi HEMI engine out as well.
Besides that, it prohibited rear spoilers on NASCAR when it saw that the 1969 Dodge
Daytona and 1970 Plymouth Superbird performed very well. In 1977 Dodge left
NASCAR, returning in 2001. After almost 20 years, Dodge started
again competing with others in Indy 500 which was in 1996. In the same year it
won 5 International Championships. In 1997 Dodge won the Super Touring Car
Championship. In the same year Dodge returned to NASCAR, it won the pole position
in the Daytona 500. Dodge won The Global RallyCross in 2012. In 2014, Dodge
finally won the Trans Am title with a Dodge Challenger.
Performance and engines:
Dodge competed with many
other manufacturers in drag racing. It made the impossible possible. In the
60's and 70's, all muscle cars used to be big black, but Dodge came with the
idea if using a small black on small cars such as the Dodge Dart and the
Challenger. They made the Mopar 340 engine and the 340 T/A. They also made the
Elephant engine or the HEMI 426. This engine is considered to be the 2nd best
engine ever made. In 1978, Dodge made the most powerful car in America. What
surprises is that it is a truck. It smokes any Corvettes from 0-100 MPH. The
truck is called Lil' Red Express.
The spirit of Dodge:
Dodge has taken a big
part of my life since 2010. It was the same year that I bought my first Dodge
car. It was a 2010 Dodge Challenger. From that day, it became an addiction to
me. The problem is that it is very hard to keep your car as a stock car
especially when it is an American car. I modified my car with full exhaust
system, full air intake system, suspension kit, body kit as well as modifying
the engine. My car used to make 425 hp. Now, it makes more than 650 hp. The
addiction didn't stop at that point. In 2013, I bought my 2nd Dodge
car. It is a 1972 Dodge Challenger. This car is a classic car; its original
color is orange. I’m currently restoring it. I’m planning to change the color
to purple. I did a few modifications on the engine for more reliability. To me,
this is a dream coming true. In 2014, I bought my 3rd Dodge; it
is a 2014 Dodge Ram. Almost a year ago, my friends and I established a group
that represents Dodge here in UAE. The group has almost 120 members from all
over the UAE. They are from different nationalities. In the group we
share knowledge and experience about the car. Sometimes we trouble shoot problems
associated with our cars. We have professional race driver. We have a professional body kit designers. One of the group members has won the King Of
The Show on the 5th of December in 2014 Oman Motor Show. The
same member won the same title in Al Ain’s Bwadi Mall Show on the 6th of
December. Another member has won in a drag racing competition in Qatar around
two weeks ago. On the 21st of November this year with our help,
Dodge Middle East has done a calibration on the 100th anniversary
for Dodge. The participants were people from UAE, Oman, KSA and Kuwait. On the
2nd of January, 2015, we are having a full day drag racing
event. The event will take place in Yas Marine Drag Strip. Starting from next
week, I well prepare my car for the event. My love to Dodge won’t stop at this
point; it will continue to infinity. Dodge is a passion. It is a life style.
Some Videos:
Dodge History:
An interesting Dodge advertisement:
100 Anniversary Video:
100 Anniversary Video (made by one of our group members):
Some Fun things we do:
References:
·
John and Horace Dodge: From
Building the Ford Model T to Dodge Brothers. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10,
2014, from http://www.allpar.com/corporate/bios/dodge-brothers.html
·
Mopar and Mopar logos: An illustrated history. (n.d.). Retrieved
December 10, 2014, from http://www.allpar.com/cars/mopar/
·
Dodge Dances With NASCAR - Part I. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10,
2014, from http://www.allpar.com/racing/nascar-dance.html
·
SRT. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2014, from http://www.drivesrt.com/news/2014/11/cameron-lawrence-wins-trans-am-title-for-dodge.html
·
Fuller, D. (2014, January 24). Top 10 Engines of All Time (#2):
Chrysler 426 HEMI. Retrieved December 10, 2014, from http://www.onallcylinders.com/2014/01/24/top-10-engines-time-2-chrysler-426-hemi/
·
Dodge 100 Years of History. (2014, November 14). Retrieved December
10, 2014, from http://dodge100years.com/
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