Dodge is one of America's oldest and most recognizable automakers. Today, as part of Stellantis, Dodge trades on old-fashioned American values such as size, power, and style.where did all start? How did it all begin? Let’s take a look at the History of Dodge Motor Company:

The Dodge Brothers Company was founded in 1900 by siblings John Francis and Horace Elgin. The business began as an automotive parts supplier before producing its first vehicle in 1914. After the brothers passed away in 1920 and the company was “driven” into financial trouble, Chrysler purchased the Dodge Brothers Company, dropping “Brothers” from the name. The first appearance of the ram hood ornaments happened shortly after.

1928: Walter Chrysler buys Dodge

When Walter P. Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, he bought a failing company that was barely making payrolls. He also added the lower priced Plymouth and DeSoto later in 1928 which made Chrysler the third largest automaker.

1929: First Dodge pickups were made

Dodge introduced their first poickup in 1929. It was a half ton with three engines availible, which 2 were Dodge engines, 63 HP and 78 HP, and the other availible engine was a Maxwell 4 cylinder engine that produced 45 HP. Another feature is it had four wheel hydraulic brakes that was a signaficant safety feature that only Chrysler had.

1951: The HEMI engine is introduced

In 1951, Chrysler/Dodge is to blame that would start the horsepower wars between Ford, Chrysler, and GM that would last for the next 30 years by introducing the Hemi engine. There have been 3 different Hemi engines, the first one was 1951, then 1964, and the latest in 2003.

1955: First car to have 300 HP

In January 1955, the Chrysler 300 was the first car to have 300 horsepower. To achieve that much horse power at that time, the engine had high flow heads with cleaner valves, a special camshaft, bumped up compression to 8.5:1, two 4 barrel carburetors, and dual exhaust.

1981: Dodge/RAM Trucks – RAMs Truck from the Dodge Truck Division born

When we mention the Dodge brand, it is also important that we give a shout out to Ram trucks. The Ram Truck lineup was originally launched by Fiat and it became part of the Dodge brand of vehicles in 1981 and was named the Dodge Truck Division. As we mentioned, Dodge had been producing truck since as early as 1917 but Ram models were the first pickups. The Ram D150 Miser was introduced in the first year, providing a quality pickup with a high fuel mileage. Throughout the rest of the 80s the Ram lineup continued to evolve in style, power, and efficiency with a completely more refined lineup launching in 1987.

1989: Cummins Diesel engines are put into Dodge trucks

Dodge needed something in their trucks that could compete with Ford and Chevy. They answered that by putting the Cummins TurboDiesel engine in their trucks. In 1996, it exceeded 200 HP, in 2001 surpassed 500 pound feet of torque. In 2007 the 6.7 L engine was introduced, and now gets an astounding 900 pound feet of torque and 385 HP.

1994 : RAM Trucks Gets it’s Own Brand – Separate Distinction from the Dodge Truck Division

As newer and more improved engines were being launched in the automotive world, more trucks continued being introduced as part of the Dodge Truck Division until 1994 when these vehicles were officially rebranded as Ram Trucks. With their striking combination of rugged appearance and high performance engines, these models immediately gained noticeable attention in the market. A year later in 1995, the Ram brand released the Club cab along with a variety of other unique cabs for the lineup. This also started a number of mechanics upgrades including a first-ever natural gas version.

2014: Dodge introduces the Hellcat engine

The Dodge Challenger, Charger, and soon the Jeep Grand Cherokee have the 6.2 L Supercharged HEMI that produces 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. With a 3.3 second 0-60 track time, it is the most powerful muscle car to date. The Challenger has 10 different packages, with the least expensive being the SXT, and the highest end being the Hellcat.