Gottman's Automotive Service

Here’s some cool automotive history!

On July 17, 1914, Dodge Brothers, Inc. was incorporated by John (pictured at right) and Horace Dodge (left).

The Dodge brothers had been building engines for Olds Motor Vehicle Co. and Ford Motor Company for a number of years prior, and they eventually worked exclusively for Ford to build chassis. This work even helped them obtain a 10% stake in Ford at its inception.

The Dodges had a strained relationship with Ford, as Ford often complained about the quality of Dodge parts and eventually began working toward producing their own parts. However, business continued to grow, and the Dodges wanted to expand their business beyond one customer. Instead of building engines and chassis for someone else, they decided to start manufacturing and selling their own vehicles.

In 1913, the Dodge brothers announced their termination with Ford, then left a year later and incorporated Dodge Brothers Inc.

Who remembers Fisher Body?

On July 10, 1923, Fisher Body Company registered its famous Body by Fisher trademark, just a few years after General Motors took ownership of the company.

Fisher Body started when two of the seven Fisher brothers, Fred and Charles, came to Detroit to work with their uncle, who made horse carriage bodies. After the uncle left, Fred and Charles switched to horseless carriages, established Fisher Body in 1908 and brought their five other brothers into the company. They built Fisher Body into a powerhouse, selling auto bodies to GM, Ford Motor Company, Cadillac, Buick, Studebaker and others. In 1919, GM bought a majority of Fisher Body shares, taking ownership of the company.

Four years later, Fisher Body introduced a new element to its product: a logo with the words “Body by Fisher” underneath a horseless carriage. Fisher trademarked the phrase, and the Body by Fisher badge became a classic icon found on GM cars all the way up to the 1990s.

Happy Independence Day everyone! Have a great day!

Here’s some Chrysler history for everyone.

On May 30, 1928, Chrysler Corporation bought the Dodge Brothers Company in a $170 million deal.

At the time, Chrysler Corporation was still establishing itself in the industry, only taking over the Maxwell Motor Company two years prior. Walter Chrysler, founder of the company, had not yet acquired another manufacturer, but he had every intention to compete with industry giants General Motors and Ford Motor Company. When the investment company Dillon, Reed & Co. bought Dodge from the Dodge family in 1925, they continued to turn a profit, even purchasing Graham Brothers in 1926.

With the success of Dodge under Dillon, Reed & Co., Dodge boasted an enormous production capacity, something that intrigued Chrysler in its quest for dominance. Chrysler bought Dodge for today’s equivalent of over $2 billion, fought through the Depression and grew into one of the most successful automotive manufacturers in history.

Here’s some cool info!

On May 1, 1926, Ford Motor Company became one of the first businesses in the US to adopt a five-day, 40-hour week for workers in its factories. The policy would be expanded to include Ford’s office workers in August.

The decision to reduce the workweek from six to five days had originally been made four years earlier. According to an article published in The New York Times in March 1922, Edsel Ford (pictured), Henry’s son and the president of the company, said, “Every man needs more than one day a week for rest and recreation….The Ford Company always has sought to promote [an] ideal home life for its employees. We believe that in order to live properly every man should have more time to spend with his family.”

Manufacturers all over the country, and the world, soon followed Ford’s lead, and the Monday-to-Friday workweek became standard practice.

Merry Christmas everyone! Have a great day!