Detroit Heritage : The 1920's

John and Horace Dodge were rich and famous by 1914 when they began building their own car. Their machine shop had built engines and transmissions for Ransom Olds and engines, transmissions and axles for Henry Ford. They were truly central pioneers in the auto industry. They acquired much Ford Motor Co. stock because of their key role in development of the Ford, which was the leading car line by 1914. But like most automotive people, they had a falling out with Henry Ford and Ford bought out their stock in Ford. With the millions they were paid, they launched Dodge Brothers, building sturdy cars with that name. This 1926 Dodge Brothers sedan was one of almost 250,000 built that year.

The 1927 Chevrolet outsold the 1927 Ford, the first time that feat was accomplished. Ford had shut down to change over from the Model T to the Model A, but it was a portent of what was to come in the '30s. The smartly styled Chevrolet contrasted sharply with the outdated Model T. The Model A put Ford ahead again, but its lead did not last long against Chevrolet's annual model changes inaugurated by General Motors Chairman Alfred P. Sloan.

This 1928 Studebaker President Roadster was a large, powerful and spacious car powered by the company's first straight eight engine. Studebaker began building cars in 1902, producing an electric design by Thomas Edison. It began building gasoline engine cars in 1904. Over the years, in addition to building Studebaker cars, it built the Erskine from 1927-30, a smaller car named after the firm's president, Albert Russel Erskine, and the Rockne in 1932-33, named for Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne and built in Detroit. In 1928, the year this elegant roadster was built, Studebaker acquired Pierce-Arrow.