Happy Friday, Autopians! Since we’ve been looking at older cars all week, I thought it would be fun to finish up with some really old rides, in as close to original condition as I could find. No hot rods here, not today. I had to raise the price ceiling a fair bit to find these, so the “shitbox” epithet doesn’t really apply, but we’re certainly gonna have a showdown.
Yesterday, we looked at two generations of ’60s Volvos, and I really wasn’t sure how the voting was going to go. I know I would have a hard time deciding between them; they’re both cool cars and both worthy projects. Apparently you all had a hard time deciding, too – as of this writing, just one vote separates the two.
So let’s look at a few pros and cons, and see if we can’t sort this out. Both of them run and drive, so that’s off the table. The 544 looks better from the outside but probably needs a complete front-to-rear rewire. That’s a big job. The Amazon is a more iconic car, and a more pleasing style, to me anyway, but it needs paint badly. On the other hand, it’s $1500 cheaper. Nope, still can’t decide. I guess this one is going to remain a tie.
So let’s move on. I haven’t had the opportunity to drive nearly as many different cars as most people here have; I’ve never had press credentials, so I can’t just ask a manufacturer to borrow a car for a week. I have, however, traveled in some really interesting car circles throughout my driving life, and that has gotten me behind the wheel of a wide variety of vehicles. At this point, there are really only three types of car that are still on my must-drive-someday bucket list: a gated-shift manual Ferrari or Lamborghini, a Citroën 2CV or one of its variants, and an original pre-World War II car of any description. That last one is our focus today, as we look at two fairly typical four-door sedans from nearly a hundred years ago.
1928 Dodge Victory Six – $15,000
Engine/drivetrain: 208 cubic inch flathead inline 6, three-speed manual, RWD
Location: Lancaster, CA
Odometer reading: unknown
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Brothers Horace and John Dodge began building cars in 1914. Their cars were innovative and well-made, and they sold very well. Tragically, both Dodge brothers died in 1921, and their widows sold the company to an investment group. The firm then purchased Graham, a maker of trucks, in 1926, changed the name to Graham-Paige, then sold the whole lot to Chrysler in 1928 – the year this car was built. And you thought changes of ownership for Chrysler brands was a new thing.
The Victory Six was Dodge’s fancy model, a step up from the aptly-named Standard Six. It was a pretty advanced car for the time: It has an all-steel body, and hydraulic drum brakes on all four wheels. It does look like it still uses wooden wheel spokes, however. It’s powered by a flathead inline-six engine making 58 horsepower, driving the rear wheels through a three-speed sliding-mesh gearbox. No synchronizers here; if you can’t find ’em, grind ’em. The seller says it runs very well, and the tires are only about 2 years old.
Minimalism in car interiors is back in vogue, but there’s minimalism and then there’s minimalism. The instrument panel of this Dodge is simplicity itself, with only a few gauges set into a piece of wood that looks like it belongs in a museum. It’s absolutely gorgeous. It reminds me of the polished wood cabinetry aboard the Queen Mary. Even the headliner of this car is a work of art. I mean, look at this.
You see a car like this, and you start thinking the invention of plastic was a really bad idea.
1930 Ford Model A Deluxe – $10,950
Engine/drivetrain: 201 cubic inch flathead inline 4, three-speed manual, RWD
Location: Camas, WA
Odometer reading: unknown
Operational status: “Hop in and drive home”
A bit lower on the price spectrum was Ford’s Model A, a replacement for the long-lived but hopelessly outdated Model T in 1927. It was available in approximately seven hundred thousand bodystyles and configurations, and this one is a Deluxe Fordor Sedan. Under the skin, all Model As were the same, powered by a flathead four-cylinder engine and a three-speed manual gearbox, with three pedals and a gearshift lever in the pattern you would expect, instead of the Model T’s weird configuration. It was one of very few concessions to the market made by Henry Ford; he wouldn’t budge on mechanically-operated brakes, though.
Simplicity was the name of the game for Ford in these days, and automobile engines don’t get much simpler than an inline four with the valves in the block. You can’t really do a four-cylinder four-cycle engine with fewer moving parts than this. It doesn’t even have a fuel pump; the carburetor is gravity-fed from a fuel tank behind the dashboard. The seller says it runs and drives well, and is ready for a new owner to jump in and go.
It’s not perfect, however; it’s an older restoration, and it wasn’t done very well. The interior materials are wrong, and the wood framing of the body isn’t square. The seller says the doors are crooked and need some adjustment to fit properly. But it’s also not as expensive as a perfect restoration would be; this is a car you could enjoy puttering around in on weekends and no one would notice the crooked doors.
Ever wonder why it’s called a “trunk”? Because that’s what it used to be, a literal actual trunk on a bracket bolted to the back of the car.
Well, I hope you all enjoyed reading about these old beauties as much as I enjoyed researching and writing about them. Next week, we’ll be back to more normal fare. But for today, it’s Dodge versus Ford, ninety-some years ago. Who ya got?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
I think in case it’s worth spending the extra money on the Dodge.
Did pre-war British cars have an actual boot bolted to the back?
Yes, the Strolls-Nice, and a bonnet draped over the engine and tied with a bow.
Neither very practical, but the model of decorum.
Sitting this one out as I don’t care much for classic pre-war designs, but I could not miss the opportunity to write these words on the internet:
If anyone’s looking for a Model A in Portugal, I know a guy who’s selling his.
I voted Dodge, it’s a higher spec and more unusual car. I think my ideal pre WWII car is a little later, a Citroën Traction Avant is almost modern as well as stylish
Graham-Paige? Pronounced like “rampage?” So this was really a Dodge Graham-Paige?
I’m generally a Ford guy, but not today. I actually really want that Dodge.
When Bob Wills says you Cadillac to town in your Model A, that’s what you do…
Among other things, I chose the Dodge because I’ve actually ridden in (but never driven) a couple of Model As: our butcher and neighbor when I was a little kid had one that was less than 50 years old when I was little, and the stepfather of a college friend* had one that had a Mustang engine in it. I think I rode in the rumble seat?
*who was an incredible guy: among many other things, he’d flown Corsairs off a carrier in WW2, including flying under the Golden Gate Bridge when they came home after the war.
Mark, you can travel up to the Tacoma area and learn to drive a Model T to get that off your bucket list: https://lemaymarymount.org/events/model-t-experience/?occurrence=2024-05-18
Heck, just drive an hour up the Columbia Gorge to WAAAM, there’s lessons most of the year. But I’m glad to see there’s another reason to visit Tacoma.
Didn’t know about this one, very cool!
I need to get to WAAAM someday. It’s on the list, it just hasn’t happened yet.
I hear the Second Saturday events are pretty photogenic when the weather’s nice.
Knowing I can get one of these for ~$10k, and in what looks to be good condition is very dangerous information to have. I know it won’t come overnight, but in due time, I’m sure I can have my family on board with me owning one of these.
Model A, parts are easier to get
It’s the Dodge for me, but wowza I would take that spot in Washington! Look at all those gorgeous trees!
IIRC the Ford had only rear mechanical drum brakes.
This gives the Dodge a near-infinite lead on usability. The Ford would, imho, need a brake retrofit near-immediately for me. Dodge it is.
The Model A has four-wheel mechanical brakes. They have a pretty good reputation for effectiveness as long as they’re kept in adjustment and they’re not susceptible to sudden, total loss like the single-circuit hydraulic systems of the day.
Dodge. The Ford’s probably not a bad deal, but it does nothing for me. Seen too many, I guess, and mechanical brakes are a little too vintage for me to consider using the vehicle (even if I was willing to have a car I didn’t drive, the Model A is nowhere near attractive or interesting enough for that). Also helps that my grandfather had a Dodge of about this year and he used to talk about how tough it was. Of all the cars he had owned, the ones he talked about most were the Packard limo and the Dodge with an anecdote or two about the Nash (I think it was an Airflyte, though maybe a Statesman—all I know is it had the fold down seats) and Essex Terraplane. Of course, were he still alive, he’d wonder why I spent that much on old junk. It’s interesting old junk, though!
I normally only find the much higher priced cars of this vintage interesting (Pierce Arrow, Cadillac, Duesenberg, etc), but out of these two the Dodge is just nicer and more interesting, even for 5K more.
Give me both. But the cheapskate inme went with a $5000 lower price while wondering if the trunk was original and could be sold for most of the costthe car? The bad restoration keeps it from being valuable or too expensive to fix so a cheap trunk for the cheap resto if money is Tobe made.
Dodge for me… more power and it just looks more interesting to me.
The Model A is a super desirable car but I don’t want this one. Dodge all the way.
Wouldn’t have either, but if I had to, I’d take the Dodge. Much nicer, great interior, and it’s in better shape. So Fordor beGondor! (Wasn’t Fordor the stand-in for Mordor in Bored of the Rings?)
I was 100% set to click on that Model A, but the iffy wood framing on the body got me. Honestly, if $15000 worth of properly-restored Model A were on the table I’d go with that, but since it isn’t I’ll go with the Dodge.
I wouldn’t actually buy either, but the Dodge is more what I’d want out of that era vehicle. It’s pretty good looking, really, and the 6 is a boon. I think it’s worth the extra cost.
I chose the Dodge. It’d be perfect for taking out my best gal Sal to a fancy dinner then a talkie at the Bijou all for only 2 bits.
Seriously though, if I’m going to commit to a car I might drive locally on weekends and maybe in the Fourth of July parade, it’s had better at least have been restored properly.
Literally, 100% neither. Neither does a hint of anything for me. I wouldn’t even have them to flip them.
Just… next?
Whoof! I always found the Model A Fordor Sedan (two window) to be my iconic early automotive ascetic. (The Tudor Sedan is also right up there.) The shorter engine, the simple grille, and the curve of the cabin just work for me!
That said, the Dodge is the one I’d want to show off. Expenses be damned! I want a rolling art piece!
I’ve heard that wooden-bodied cars are much more of chore to keep in good shape than steel, so I’d go with the Dodge on that basis alone. To my eyes, it looks better as well, so a bonus!
Most early cars were wooden frames with sheet metal formed over them. Over many years, the wood joints loosen up and of course rot and insects can really mess things up. You sure don’t want a poorly restored or rotten wooden body car. The only way to get those doors aligned is to start over.
Weather and temperatures certainly affect it but IF my memory serves the wood used was chosen for its hardness and resistance to insects.
I have seen lots of water rot and insect damage over the years. Of course those same conditions will cause rust and no vehicle is designed to last 80+ years.
Like I said IF but willing to admit just doing research on it no practical knowledge
I am sure they chose the best wood they could afford that would hold up structurally and resist the elements.
I wonder if they ever thought of using manwood. You could place a miniature spare in the trunk. But in case of a flat MOUNT IT and ot would harden to a full sized spare? Maybe they did but the males on the panel lied about the actual size of the hardened spare tire?