Old Dealer Codes
- Thread starter demonhead
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My drop in the ocean, from the box of a 1974 Fury NOS part I just received:
#64460 West Pointe Chrysler Plymouth, 5570 Monroe St, Sylvania, OH 43560, gone probably by 1980.
Some trivia:
From 1981 on the same address was being occupied by dealership #41606 Vin Devers, Inc., a Dodge franchise. Vin Devers had gotten himself the franchise on advise of his friend Lee Iacocca, who had assured him he would turn ChryCo around.
West Pointe Chrysler Plymouth itself rose to fame by selling the Sylvania Township police several (Gran) Furys between 1970 and 1977, competing for the bids with dealership #61345 Joe Grogan Motor Sales, Inc., 5120 Jackman Rd, Toledo, OH, that evolved into dealership #61345 Grogan's Towne Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, 6100 Telegraph Rd, Toledo, OH, the same business that bought the said Vin Devers Dodge dealership in 2008.
#64460 West Pointe Chrysler Plymouth, 5570 Monroe St, Sylvania, OH 43560, gone probably by 1980.
Some trivia:
From 1981 on the same address was being occupied by dealership #41606 Vin Devers, Inc., a Dodge franchise. Vin Devers had gotten himself the franchise on advise of his friend Lee Iacocca, who had assured him he would turn ChryCo around.
West Pointe Chrysler Plymouth itself rose to fame by selling the Sylvania Township police several (Gran) Furys between 1970 and 1977, competing for the bids with dealership #61345 Joe Grogan Motor Sales, Inc., 5120 Jackman Rd, Toledo, OH, that evolved into dealership #61345 Grogan's Towne Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, 6100 Telegraph Rd, Toledo, OH, the same business that bought the said Vin Devers Dodge dealership in 2008.
Those dealership codes can be very persistent in time. Take #08011, originally assigned for a Chrysler franchise acquired in 1939 by Zion Motors, Inc., Murray, UT, headed by Orville J. "O.J." Wilkinson. By 1972 that company morphs into Cottonwood Chrysler Plymouth, Inc., Murray, UT, headed by son O. Bryan "Bry" Wilkinson. In 1973 he acquires a Honda franchise and by 1984 splits the company in two parts: Wilkinson starts Heritage Honda and sells off the Chrysler-Plymouth franchise to Larry H. Miller, who by 1986 runs it under the name Larry H. Miller Chrysler Plymouth. In the 2009 file #8011 is connected with Larry H. Miller Chrysler Jeep Dodge, Sandy, UT, presently Larry H. Miller Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Sandy.
Four different company names and three different principals/majority owners, the last one completely unrelated to the first two, and only one dealership code.
Four different company names and three different principals/majority owners, the last one completely unrelated to the first two, and only one dealership code.
In the 1986 file there's a nice example of such an event. Entry
#43121 KEM Motors, Inc., DBA Gladstone Dodge, Gladstone, MO, principal Robert E. Hoss
is followed by a hand-written note saying
#43491, principal Tom P. Doherty
That note probably dates from 1986-1987, when Doherty became the owner of Gladstone Dodge, Inc., and Hoss started another company, #43563 Bob Hoss Dodge, Inc., in Kansas City, KS.
This case also shows that the "principal" does not always have to be the majority owner. At Gladstone Dodge, Hoss had actually been the manager, acting on behalf of majority owner Kenneth E. Morehead, who had registered KEM Motors in 1984. Before that, Hoss had been manager of another Morehead company, Ken Morehead Chevrolet, Inc., of Beatrice, NE.
LeBaron1973
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Perhaps a message to dobalovr in Calgary may provide further information. Graham Is associated with FCA and has experience from a dealer perspective.
Two Chrysler dealerships at the same address are also a good indication that a principal change has occurred. Some background checking reveals that ownership changed hands for these pairs:
63637 Paul W. Roper & Sons, Inc., 57 Ward Ave, Moosup, CT had been Nash dealers until they switched to ChryCo products. The company was sold in 1984, but original owner Roper continued selling cars working under his buyer, Peter Disch of
67306 Disch Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge, Inc., 57 Ward Ave, Moosup, CT, a company registered January 20, 1984.
65147 Gateway Chrysler, Inc., 624 W. 5th St, Clare, MI had been in business since 1971, at first run by owners Eslie and Lillian Erickson, then by their son Neal. In 2000 the company was sold to Kris A. Swaffer, who performed a subtle name change:
68923 Swaffer's Gateway Chrysler, Inc., 624 W. 5th St, Clare, MI.
So a principal change, sign of a new company stepping in, can trigger a new dealership code being issued. But it does not have to be that way, remember Larry H. Miller from post #43.
63637 Paul W. Roper & Sons, Inc., 57 Ward Ave, Moosup, CT had been Nash dealers until they switched to ChryCo products. The company was sold in 1984, but original owner Roper continued selling cars working under his buyer, Peter Disch of
67306 Disch Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge, Inc., 57 Ward Ave, Moosup, CT, a company registered January 20, 1984.
65147 Gateway Chrysler, Inc., 624 W. 5th St, Clare, MI had been in business since 1971, at first run by owners Eslie and Lillian Erickson, then by their son Neal. In 2000 the company was sold to Kris A. Swaffer, who performed a subtle name change:
68923 Swaffer's Gateway Chrysler, Inc., 624 W. 5th St, Clare, MI.
So a principal change, sign of a new company stepping in, can trigger a new dealership code being issued. But it does not have to be that way, remember Larry H. Miller from post #43.
@LocuMob:
56728 Sierra Dodge Motors, Inc., Chico, CA
Incorporated 1 August 1960, merged out 1 September 1982 with Toyota of Chico, Inc.
Principals were F.W. Tarr (1960-1966) and C.H. Patterson (1967-1982).
The successor company mentioned in the text is
42751 Chuck Patterson, Inc., DBA Chuck Patterson Dodge, 200 E. Avenue, Chico, CA, principal (you guessed it) Charles H. Patterson. This code was assigned March, 1983.
That is a different type of dealership code change than the ones I showed in the previous post. The principal remains the same, but the company has been consolidated.
56728 Sierra Dodge Motors, Inc., Chico, CA
Incorporated 1 August 1960, merged out 1 September 1982 with Toyota of Chico, Inc.
Principals were F.W. Tarr (1960-1966) and C.H. Patterson (1967-1982).
The successor company mentioned in the text is
42751 Chuck Patterson, Inc., DBA Chuck Patterson Dodge, 200 E. Avenue, Chico, CA, principal (you guessed it) Charles H. Patterson. This code was assigned March, 1983.
That is a different type of dealership code change than the ones I showed in the previous post. The principal remains the same, but the company has been consolidated.
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Earlier on I noted that the dealership code namespace has gaps. These gaps leave blocks of codes eligible for use, one of them being the 35000 - 39999 range. Comparing the 2009 with the 1986 file, the number of codes from that range in the 1986 file exceeds that in the 2009 file. Also, every code in the 2009 file is included in the 1986 file. So codes in actual use in that range are only getting less as no new codes are being added, making this range a legacy block.
A look at IBM cards ("Car Record Cards") for DeSotos explains why. Those cards invariably show dealership codes starting with "3", for example 38271, 38359, 39456 (about half way down the linked page), a thing DeSoto buffs surely will have noticed. Lists with DeSoto dealers are not hard to find, but nowhere the dealership codes are given. Thanks for that!
But now we have the 1986 and 2009 files. Checking the 44 codes in the 2009 file from the 35000 - 39999 range (mainly using old newspaper ads) reveals that 37 of those dealerships were once DeSoto-Plymouth dealerships:
35058 Darner Motor Sales Inc., Mesa, AZ, DeSoto-Plymouth dealer since 1953;
36100 Advance Auto Sales, Inc., Auburn, ME, DeSoto-Plymouth dealer since 1936;
37002 FitzPatrick's, Inc., Ansonia, CT, DeSoto-Plymouth dealer since 1945;
38308 Shimkat Motor Co., Fort Dodge, IA, DeSoto-Plymouth dealer since 1947;
39075 Buhler & Bitter, Inc., Hazlet, NJ, DeSoto-Plymouth dealer since 1955 (not in the DeSoto dealer lists, however).
Another four dealerships had at least a DeSoto franchise according to the search results. Now I don't know if there ever was such a thing as a stand-alone DeSoto dealership, but here they are:
36089 Edward H. Spencer, Inc., 22 E. Main St, Warren, MA 01083
37791 Driver Motors, Inc., Paducah Rd US 45, Mayfield, KY 42066
38108 Blackburn Motor Co., Inc., 2011 Washington St, Vicksburg, MS 39180
38637 Unverferth Motor Sales, S. Broad St, Kalida, OH 45853
For the remaining three dealerships the original franchise(s) did not turn up in searches:
38175 Northern Auto Inc., 625 Quincy St, Hancock, MI 49930
39517 Lawrence Chrysler Plymouth Corp., 4808 W. Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23229
39663 Clusiau Sales & Rental, 815 W. 4th St, Grand Rapids, MI 55744
Additional information on these seven dealerships would sure be helpful!
A look at IBM cards ("Car Record Cards") for DeSotos explains why. Those cards invariably show dealership codes starting with "3", for example 38271, 38359, 39456 (about half way down the linked page), a thing DeSoto buffs surely will have noticed. Lists with DeSoto dealers are not hard to find, but nowhere the dealership codes are given. Thanks for that!
But now we have the 1986 and 2009 files. Checking the 44 codes in the 2009 file from the 35000 - 39999 range (mainly using old newspaper ads) reveals that 37 of those dealerships were once DeSoto-Plymouth dealerships:
35058 Darner Motor Sales Inc., Mesa, AZ, DeSoto-Plymouth dealer since 1953;
36100 Advance Auto Sales, Inc., Auburn, ME, DeSoto-Plymouth dealer since 1936;
37002 FitzPatrick's, Inc., Ansonia, CT, DeSoto-Plymouth dealer since 1945;
38308 Shimkat Motor Co., Fort Dodge, IA, DeSoto-Plymouth dealer since 1947;
39075 Buhler & Bitter, Inc., Hazlet, NJ, DeSoto-Plymouth dealer since 1955 (not in the DeSoto dealer lists, however).
Another four dealerships had at least a DeSoto franchise according to the search results. Now I don't know if there ever was such a thing as a stand-alone DeSoto dealership, but here they are:
36089 Edward H. Spencer, Inc., 22 E. Main St, Warren, MA 01083
37791 Driver Motors, Inc., Paducah Rd US 45, Mayfield, KY 42066
38108 Blackburn Motor Co., Inc., 2011 Washington St, Vicksburg, MS 39180
38637 Unverferth Motor Sales, S. Broad St, Kalida, OH 45853
For the remaining three dealerships the original franchise(s) did not turn up in searches:
38175 Northern Auto Inc., 625 Quincy St, Hancock, MI 49930
39517 Lawrence Chrysler Plymouth Corp., 4808 W. Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23229
39663 Clusiau Sales & Rental, 815 W. 4th St, Grand Rapids, MI 55744
Additional information on these seven dealerships would sure be helpful!
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69CoronetRT
Senior Member
you’re doing some very needed and appreciated work on this topic. Thank you.
3175375
Senior Member
Life often is a puzzle too
After the demise of DeSoto in November, 1960 the dealerships transitioned to other makes. By 1986 the 44 dealerships from post #48 all held Chrysler-Plymouth, some also Dodge and/or Dodge Trucks franchises. However, going by ads from the 1959-1963 period this has not always been an instant and smooth transition:
Dealerships #36041 Liccardi Motors, Inc., Plainfield, later Green Brook, NJ and #36495 Burns Motors, McAllen, TX started advertising as Chrysler-Plymouth dealers only in 1963. Before that they had gone through two identity crises as Plymouth-DeSoto-Valiant (1959-1960) and then Plymouth-Valiant (1961-1962) dealers.
Some company histories mention still later transitions:
#39075 Buhler & Bitter, Inc., Hazlet, NJ added the Chrysler franchise in 1967 (page 11 of the linked document), while #38713 Mullane Motors, Inc., Lockport, NY did so only in 1970.
As the dealership codes show, adding new franchises did not trigger a code change, not even when a considerable period as stand-alone Plymouth(-Valiant) dealer had been involved.
Dealerships #36041 Liccardi Motors, Inc., Plainfield, later Green Brook, NJ and #36495 Burns Motors, McAllen, TX started advertising as Chrysler-Plymouth dealers only in 1963. Before that they had gone through two identity crises as Plymouth-DeSoto-Valiant (1959-1960) and then Plymouth-Valiant (1961-1962) dealers.
Some company histories mention still later transitions:
#39075 Buhler & Bitter, Inc., Hazlet, NJ added the Chrysler franchise in 1967 (page 11 of the linked document), while #38713 Mullane Motors, Inc., Lockport, NY did so only in 1970.
As the dealership codes show, adding new franchises did not trigger a code change, not even when a considerable period as stand-alone Plymouth(-Valiant) dealer had been involved.
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The block 35000-39999 with its DeSoto-Plymouth dealerships belongs to the 1930-1960 period. Therefore it makes sense to check other blocks against that period. Pinning down Dodge-Plymouth dealerships is not too difficult, as in 1950 nation-wide Chrysler ads were run with the catchphrase "These outstanding dealers will welcome your call", followed by listings of DeSoto-Plymouth, Chrysler-Plymouth and Dodge-Plymouth dealers in the region.
I found 40 Dodge-Plymouth dealerships in those ads that survived to be included in the 1986 file. It turns out that those 1950s dealers are concentrated in the lower end of a block that starts at 51000:
51394 Walker & Eastman Auto Sales, later Walker Motor Sales, Inc., Woodsville, NH, Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1936;
52075 Whitehouse-Humphrey, Inc., Danville, KY, Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1936;
53696 Clayton Amerman, Inc., Peapack, NJ 07977, Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1935;
54193 Reed Brothers, Inc., Rockville, MD, Dodge dealer since 1915, Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1930;
55024 Banning & Sons Motors, Inc., 5800 Baltimore Ave, Hyattsville, MD, Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1946;
56006 Saylor Motor Co., Inc., Somerset, PA 15501, Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1937.
After #56006 it leads over into a series of codes going up to 59999 assigned to dealerships that started out with a stand-alone Dodge franchise, acquired between the late 1950s and early 1970s:
56088 Waverly Motors, Inc., Waverly, VA, Dodge dealer since 1957, added a Chrysler-Plymouth dealership and finally took on Jeep in 1998;
57862 Jim Soutar's Dodge City, Inc., Barstow, CA, Dodge dealer since 1962, but added Toyota and Chrysler-Plymouth within the year;
58004 Grieger's Motor Sales, Inc., Valparaiso, IN, Dodge dealer since 1960, Chrysler-Plymouth obtained later by merger;
59898 Hills Edge Auto Sales, Hot Springs, SD, Dodge dealer since 1972, by 1986 also Chrysler-Plymouth.
Actually there are no distinct blocks here, it's just one continuous 51000-59999 block. As the Dodge Charger Registry already stated: "We can say that for U.S. dealerships, the five digit number begins with a "5"."
I found 40 Dodge-Plymouth dealerships in those ads that survived to be included in the 1986 file. It turns out that those 1950s dealers are concentrated in the lower end of a block that starts at 51000:
51394 Walker & Eastman Auto Sales, later Walker Motor Sales, Inc., Woodsville, NH, Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1936;
52075 Whitehouse-Humphrey, Inc., Danville, KY, Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1936;
53696 Clayton Amerman, Inc., Peapack, NJ 07977, Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1935;
54193 Reed Brothers, Inc., Rockville, MD, Dodge dealer since 1915, Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1930;
55024 Banning & Sons Motors, Inc., 5800 Baltimore Ave, Hyattsville, MD, Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1946;
56006 Saylor Motor Co., Inc., Somerset, PA 15501, Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1937.
After #56006 it leads over into a series of codes going up to 59999 assigned to dealerships that started out with a stand-alone Dodge franchise, acquired between the late 1950s and early 1970s:
56088 Waverly Motors, Inc., Waverly, VA, Dodge dealer since 1957, added a Chrysler-Plymouth dealership and finally took on Jeep in 1998;
57862 Jim Soutar's Dodge City, Inc., Barstow, CA, Dodge dealer since 1962, but added Toyota and Chrysler-Plymouth within the year;
58004 Grieger's Motor Sales, Inc., Valparaiso, IN, Dodge dealer since 1960, Chrysler-Plymouth obtained later by merger;
59898 Hills Edge Auto Sales, Hot Springs, SD, Dodge dealer since 1972, by 1986 also Chrysler-Plymouth.
Actually there are no distinct blocks here, it's just one continuous 51000-59999 block. As the Dodge Charger Registry already stated: "We can say that for U.S. dealerships, the five digit number begins with a "5"."
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There are two more small code blocks with Dodge franchises, assigned mainly during the 1960s. That makes them parallel blocks to the upper half of the 51000-59999 block. They comprise both about 100 code points, the first one starting at 20000 and containing only four dealerships in the 1986 file (#20013, #20053, #20068 and #20069). They are all Dodge Truck-only and by 2009 these are all gone. The second block starts at 25000 and is more tricky. That's why this post will be longer than usual.
Most dealerships here have stand-alone Dodge franchises, only a few combine them during the 1960s with Chrysler, Plymouth and even Imperial:
25046 Freeman Motor Co., Inc., Lumberton, NC, Chrysler-Plymouth-Imperial-Dodge dealer since 1956;
25078 Bollinger's, Inc., Lakeview, MI, Dodge dealer since 1914, Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1929, Chrysler-Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1954.
That were rather unusual combinations for the 1950s. The Chrysler-Dodge-Plymouth dealerships generally arose later.
Dealerships that go back to at least the early 1950s, sometimes under different names, used to have Dodge-Plymouth franchises before they passed to Dodge-only, as can be expected:
25001 Ellsworth Bros, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID, Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1945, Dodge dealer from the 1950s;
25010 + Morgan Motor Co., Inc., Wichita Falls, TX, previously a Dodge-Plymouth dealer, Dodge dealer since 1959 or 1960;
25040 + Spencer's Dodge, Inc., Wichita, KS, Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1941, Dodge dealer since 1958;
25049 + McEvoy Dodge, Inc., Rochester, NY, active as Dodge-Plymouth dealer around 1946-1954, Dodge dealer since 1964;
25064 + Miller Motor Car Corp., Binghamton, NY, previously a Dodge-Plymouth dealer, active as Dodge dealer around 1969;
25071 + George T. Abood, Inc., Portsmouth, NH, active as Dodge-Plymouth dealer around 1954, Dodge dealer since 1957.
The newer ones started out with Dodge-only franchises. Notations like "1964/1967" indicate data from conflicting sources:
25002 + Dodge City of Utica, Inc., Yorkville, Dodge dealer since 1957/1958/1959;
25004 + Dependable Motors, Inc., Austin, TX, Dodge dealer since 1959/1960;
25006 Bill Breck Dodge, Inc., Tucson, AZ, Dodge dealer since 1959;
25007 + Bill Breck Dodge, Inc., of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO, Dodge dealer since 1964;
25009 + Albany Dodge, Inc., Albany, NY, Dodge dealer since 1961;
25015 + Hampden Dodge, Inc., Springfield, MA, Dodge dealer since 1962;
25019 + Sam Dells Dodge Corp., Syracuse, NY, Dodge dealer since 1966;
25023 + John Ryan, Inc., Green Bay, WI, Dodge dealer since 1955;
25024 Frontier Dodge, Inc., Modesto, CA, Dodge dealer since 1966;
25034 + Dishman Dodge, Inc., Spokane, WA, Dodge dealer since 1962;
25036 Jensen Motor Co., Goodland, KS, active as Dodge dealer around 1973;
25047 + Deloach Dodge, Inc., Monroe, LA, Dodge dealer since 1967/1968;
25054 + Reno Dodge Sales, Reno, NV, Dodge dealer since 1965/1969;
25055 Lochmandy Motor Sales, Inc., Elkhart, IN, Dodge dealer since 1967/1968;
25056 + Tom Matson's Valley Motors, Auburn, WA, active as Dodge dealer around 1972;
25062 Charlie Zook Dodge, Inc., Sioux City, IA, Dodge dealer since 1964/1967.
For some unknown administrative reason the franchises in this block must have been different from those in the upper half of the 51000-59999 block. My best guess is that these codes are connected with "high-performance dealerships". For 16 out of 24 dealerships you find that they handled Dodge muscle cars, selling them or sponsoring them in races. In the lists I added a "+" sign for such dealerships. The muscle car phenomenon is a typical Sixties thing and so are these codes.
But handling muscle cars is also done by dealerships that have a normal 5xxxx dealership number. Take Norman "Mr. Norm" Kraus' dealership, the most famous of them all:
57147 + Grand Spaulding Dodge, Chicago, IL, Dodge dealer since 1962.
That dealership was intended to be a high-performance dealership right from the start. But, says Mr. Norm, "each high-performance customer had parents and probably a brother or sister who needed a car. ... They also had friends and co-workers who needed a car. That's what we wanted - the whole market. Our niche was to get started in high-performance, then we increased volume, and then diversified" (Robert Genat: "The American Car Dealership", pp. 84, 85).
That seems like a neat explanation for Grand Spaulding's dealership number, but many 25xxx numbered dealerships likewise served the whole market.
There's still another problem with this group. For three dealerships alternative codes have been recorded:
53059 (1959) Bill Breck Dodge, Inc., Tucson, AZ, cfr. #25006 (1986);
53141 (1960) John Ryan, Inc., Green Bay, WI, cfr. #25023 (1986);
57359 (1966) Spencer's Dodge, Inc., Wichita, KS, cfr. #25040 (1969).
I included the year in which the codes are known to have been in use. It could well be that those dealerships received new codes when the older franchise agreements were replaced by new ones. That sounds good and is supported by the years the older codes were recorded, but the company that evolved from Spencer's Dodge after its sale in 1982, Davis-Moore Dodge, Inc., turns up in the 1986 file with the older code, #57359! So that older code never went away. Maybe the 5xxxx numbered franchise agreements were not replaced, but remained valid alongside the 25xxx ones. That's not unusual if the franchises are being operated at different locations (see Bill Breck in Tuscon and Colorado Springs), but at the same location and under the same company name?
As you see, the going is getting rough; I'm just not sure. That's why I listed all relevant dealership numbers. Maybe somebody with more knowledge of 1960s Dodge dealerships could chime in and come up with a completely different explanation.
Most dealerships here have stand-alone Dodge franchises, only a few combine them during the 1960s with Chrysler, Plymouth and even Imperial:
25046 Freeman Motor Co., Inc., Lumberton, NC, Chrysler-Plymouth-Imperial-Dodge dealer since 1956;
25078 Bollinger's, Inc., Lakeview, MI, Dodge dealer since 1914, Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1929, Chrysler-Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1954.
That were rather unusual combinations for the 1950s. The Chrysler-Dodge-Plymouth dealerships generally arose later.
Dealerships that go back to at least the early 1950s, sometimes under different names, used to have Dodge-Plymouth franchises before they passed to Dodge-only, as can be expected:
25001 Ellsworth Bros, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID, Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1945, Dodge dealer from the 1950s;
25010 + Morgan Motor Co., Inc., Wichita Falls, TX, previously a Dodge-Plymouth dealer, Dodge dealer since 1959 or 1960;
25040 + Spencer's Dodge, Inc., Wichita, KS, Dodge-Plymouth dealer since 1941, Dodge dealer since 1958;
25049 + McEvoy Dodge, Inc., Rochester, NY, active as Dodge-Plymouth dealer around 1946-1954, Dodge dealer since 1964;
25064 + Miller Motor Car Corp., Binghamton, NY, previously a Dodge-Plymouth dealer, active as Dodge dealer around 1969;
25071 + George T. Abood, Inc., Portsmouth, NH, active as Dodge-Plymouth dealer around 1954, Dodge dealer since 1957.
The newer ones started out with Dodge-only franchises. Notations like "1964/1967" indicate data from conflicting sources:
25002 + Dodge City of Utica, Inc., Yorkville, Dodge dealer since 1957/1958/1959;
25004 + Dependable Motors, Inc., Austin, TX, Dodge dealer since 1959/1960;
25006 Bill Breck Dodge, Inc., Tucson, AZ, Dodge dealer since 1959;
25007 + Bill Breck Dodge, Inc., of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO, Dodge dealer since 1964;
25009 + Albany Dodge, Inc., Albany, NY, Dodge dealer since 1961;
25015 + Hampden Dodge, Inc., Springfield, MA, Dodge dealer since 1962;
25019 + Sam Dells Dodge Corp., Syracuse, NY, Dodge dealer since 1966;
25023 + John Ryan, Inc., Green Bay, WI, Dodge dealer since 1955;
25024 Frontier Dodge, Inc., Modesto, CA, Dodge dealer since 1966;
25034 + Dishman Dodge, Inc., Spokane, WA, Dodge dealer since 1962;
25036 Jensen Motor Co., Goodland, KS, active as Dodge dealer around 1973;
25047 + Deloach Dodge, Inc., Monroe, LA, Dodge dealer since 1967/1968;
25054 + Reno Dodge Sales, Reno, NV, Dodge dealer since 1965/1969;
25055 Lochmandy Motor Sales, Inc., Elkhart, IN, Dodge dealer since 1967/1968;
25056 + Tom Matson's Valley Motors, Auburn, WA, active as Dodge dealer around 1972;
25062 Charlie Zook Dodge, Inc., Sioux City, IA, Dodge dealer since 1964/1967.
For some unknown administrative reason the franchises in this block must have been different from those in the upper half of the 51000-59999 block. My best guess is that these codes are connected with "high-performance dealerships". For 16 out of 24 dealerships you find that they handled Dodge muscle cars, selling them or sponsoring them in races. In the lists I added a "+" sign for such dealerships. The muscle car phenomenon is a typical Sixties thing and so are these codes.
But handling muscle cars is also done by dealerships that have a normal 5xxxx dealership number. Take Norman "Mr. Norm" Kraus' dealership, the most famous of them all:
57147 + Grand Spaulding Dodge, Chicago, IL, Dodge dealer since 1962.
That dealership was intended to be a high-performance dealership right from the start. But, says Mr. Norm, "each high-performance customer had parents and probably a brother or sister who needed a car. ... They also had friends and co-workers who needed a car. That's what we wanted - the whole market. Our niche was to get started in high-performance, then we increased volume, and then diversified" (Robert Genat: "The American Car Dealership", pp. 84, 85).
That seems like a neat explanation for Grand Spaulding's dealership number, but many 25xxx numbered dealerships likewise served the whole market.
There's still another problem with this group. For three dealerships alternative codes have been recorded:
53059 (1959) Bill Breck Dodge, Inc., Tucson, AZ, cfr. #25006 (1986);
53141 (1960) John Ryan, Inc., Green Bay, WI, cfr. #25023 (1986);
57359 (1966) Spencer's Dodge, Inc., Wichita, KS, cfr. #25040 (1969).
I included the year in which the codes are known to have been in use. It could well be that those dealerships received new codes when the older franchise agreements were replaced by new ones. That sounds good and is supported by the years the older codes were recorded, but the company that evolved from Spencer's Dodge after its sale in 1982, Davis-Moore Dodge, Inc., turns up in the 1986 file with the older code, #57359! So that older code never went away. Maybe the 5xxxx numbered franchise agreements were not replaced, but remained valid alongside the 25xxx ones. That's not unusual if the franchises are being operated at different locations (see Bill Breck in Tuscon and Colorado Springs), but at the same location and under the same company name?
As you see, the going is getting rough; I'm just not sure. That's why I listed all relevant dealership numbers. Maybe somebody with more knowledge of 1960s Dodge dealerships could chime in and come up with a completely different explanation.
So now for a completely different explanation. The 20000-and-up and 25000-and-up code blocks could also be connected with ChryCo-financed dealerships, as opposed to privately financed dealerships.
Such dealerships, originally proposed in 1954 in the "Dealer Enterprise Plan", were more heavily pushed from 1961 onward ("Market Representation Program"). Commonly called factory stores, they could be wholly or majority (75%) owned by Chrysler. The "Dealer Enterprise" manager could over time buy out Chrysler's preferred shares and become the majority owner. As these dealerships could let their losses be absorbed by Chrysler, with little financial risk to the manager, they were able to become low-price, high-volume dealers. An advantage for the manufacturer, who sees his market share rise, a disadvantage for privately financed dealerships ("Direct Dealers") in the area, who could not afford to compete at the same low price level. There exists a whole series of law suits that followed from this situation, for instance, Madson v. Chrysler Corporation (1967).
Now could it be that the two code blocks have been used by the Dodge Division to clearly mark Enterprise Dealerships? Direct evidence in favour of this idea is hard to obtain, because financial arrangements are mostly not disclosed. The only hint could be emphasis on high volume in advertisements, and in fact at least some of the dealerships listed before, and also some of the Dodge Truck-only dealerships, advertised in this way. The best example is
20053 Central Jersey Dodge Truck Center, Inc., Piscataway, NJ
With a franchise agreement dating from September, 1966, this outlet within six months advertises "Choose now from more than 100 tough Dodge trucks in stock. ... Rock-bottom prices, highest trade-in allowances, liberal financing for the difference. ... The largest inventory this side of Detroit." Now where did this start-up find the capital to operate in this way?
Another indication is that by 1972 there were 134 Dodge factory stores, a number that more or less fits the 25xxx number range found.
Alas, the small body of direct evidence I found contradicts this neat sounding hypothesis. Four Dodge dealerships, known to have been started up as factory stores, show up with normal 5xxxx dealership numbers:
56984 Baum Boulevard Dodge, Inc, DBA Vern Staley's Boulevard Dodge, Pittsburgh, PA, opened 1961, operated as factory store throughout the 1960s;
57829 Springfield Dodge, Inc., Springfield, PA, opened 1964, bought out by the DE manager before 1986;
58285 Cherry Hill Dodge, Inc., Cherry Hill, NJ, opened 1965, bought out by the DE manager in 1972;
58847 Cinnaminson Dodge, Inc., Cinnaminson, NJ, opened 1967, bought out by the DE manager in 1970.
Additionally, they are all branches of Delaware companies that go by identical names, all with "The Corporation Trust Company" of Wilmington, DE, a well-known provider of business adresses, as agent.
So now we know how to recognize them: a dealership named by its geographical location, ultimately registered in Delaware and represented by the Corporation Trust Company is likely to have been a factory store. From the dealerships listed in the previous post only one conforms to this pattern:
25015 Hampden Dodge, Inc., Springfield, MA, Dodge dealer since 1962;
There's no indication that the rest were not privately financed companies. We're not out of the woods yet: some internal Dodge Division material is needed to sort this one out!
Such dealerships, originally proposed in 1954 in the "Dealer Enterprise Plan", were more heavily pushed from 1961 onward ("Market Representation Program"). Commonly called factory stores, they could be wholly or majority (75%) owned by Chrysler. The "Dealer Enterprise" manager could over time buy out Chrysler's preferred shares and become the majority owner. As these dealerships could let their losses be absorbed by Chrysler, with little financial risk to the manager, they were able to become low-price, high-volume dealers. An advantage for the manufacturer, who sees his market share rise, a disadvantage for privately financed dealerships ("Direct Dealers") in the area, who could not afford to compete at the same low price level. There exists a whole series of law suits that followed from this situation, for instance, Madson v. Chrysler Corporation (1967).
Now could it be that the two code blocks have been used by the Dodge Division to clearly mark Enterprise Dealerships? Direct evidence in favour of this idea is hard to obtain, because financial arrangements are mostly not disclosed. The only hint could be emphasis on high volume in advertisements, and in fact at least some of the dealerships listed before, and also some of the Dodge Truck-only dealerships, advertised in this way. The best example is
20053 Central Jersey Dodge Truck Center, Inc., Piscataway, NJ
With a franchise agreement dating from September, 1966, this outlet within six months advertises "Choose now from more than 100 tough Dodge trucks in stock. ... Rock-bottom prices, highest trade-in allowances, liberal financing for the difference. ... The largest inventory this side of Detroit." Now where did this start-up find the capital to operate in this way?
Another indication is that by 1972 there were 134 Dodge factory stores, a number that more or less fits the 25xxx number range found.
Alas, the small body of direct evidence I found contradicts this neat sounding hypothesis. Four Dodge dealerships, known to have been started up as factory stores, show up with normal 5xxxx dealership numbers:
56984 Baum Boulevard Dodge, Inc, DBA Vern Staley's Boulevard Dodge, Pittsburgh, PA, opened 1961, operated as factory store throughout the 1960s;
57829 Springfield Dodge, Inc., Springfield, PA, opened 1964, bought out by the DE manager before 1986;
58285 Cherry Hill Dodge, Inc., Cherry Hill, NJ, opened 1965, bought out by the DE manager in 1972;
58847 Cinnaminson Dodge, Inc., Cinnaminson, NJ, opened 1967, bought out by the DE manager in 1970.
Additionally, they are all branches of Delaware companies that go by identical names, all with "The Corporation Trust Company" of Wilmington, DE, a well-known provider of business adresses, as agent.
So now we know how to recognize them: a dealership named by its geographical location, ultimately registered in Delaware and represented by the Corporation Trust Company is likely to have been a factory store. From the dealerships listed in the previous post only one conforms to this pattern:
25015 Hampden Dodge, Inc., Springfield, MA, Dodge dealer since 1962;
There's no indication that the rest were not privately financed companies. We're not out of the woods yet: some internal Dodge Division material is needed to sort this one out!
The 1986 file contains for every dealership code a timestamp under the heading "Orig. Date". The question is, the original date of what? The two possibilities are "of the dealership relation" and "of the assignment of the code". For many dealerships these two possibilities coincide, but not always.
This is best seen in the upper half of the 51000-59999 block where the timestamps progress chronologically from the late 1950s to early 1970s. But sometimes this progression is interrupted by timestamps that predate this period.
A series of codes assigned in the first half of 1968 to newly opening dealerships also contains cases like this:
59029 Jim Manning Dodge, Dinuba, CA, orig. date 06-44.
The 1944 date probably refers to Willard Cochran & Son, a Dodge-Plymouth dealership active during the 1950s. In 1963 Jim Manning became a partner in that company and in 1967 he and his wife became the sole owners.
59109 Richards Auto Sales, Inc., McConnellsburg, PA, orig. date 09-45.
The predecessor firm Richards Motors was a Dodge-Plymouth dealership during the 1950s and the 1945 date likely relates to that company. The successor firm Richards Auto Sales was incorporated 29 May 1967.
Being original Dodge-Plymouth dealerships they must have had codes in the lower half of the 51000-59999 block. However, on the occasion of certain business events during the previous year (change of ownership, incorporation) in the beginning of 1968 new codes were assigned.
Therefore the chronological progression is actually not interrupted be these older timestamps. It's just that the dealership relation predates the assignment of the actual code.
This is best seen in the upper half of the 51000-59999 block where the timestamps progress chronologically from the late 1950s to early 1970s. But sometimes this progression is interrupted by timestamps that predate this period.
A series of codes assigned in the first half of 1968 to newly opening dealerships also contains cases like this:
59029 Jim Manning Dodge, Dinuba, CA, orig. date 06-44.
The 1944 date probably refers to Willard Cochran & Son, a Dodge-Plymouth dealership active during the 1950s. In 1963 Jim Manning became a partner in that company and in 1967 he and his wife became the sole owners.
59109 Richards Auto Sales, Inc., McConnellsburg, PA, orig. date 09-45.
The predecessor firm Richards Motors was a Dodge-Plymouth dealership during the 1950s and the 1945 date likely relates to that company. The successor firm Richards Auto Sales was incorporated 29 May 1967.
Being original Dodge-Plymouth dealerships they must have had codes in the lower half of the 51000-59999 block. However, on the occasion of certain business events during the previous year (change of ownership, incorporation) in the beginning of 1968 new codes were assigned.
Therefore the chronological progression is actually not interrupted be these older timestamps. It's just that the dealership relation predates the assignment of the actual code.
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probably origination, not original.
By early 1972 the 51000-59999 block had been filled up and dealerships with Dodge franchises started to be coded in a block that runs from 41000 upward. The dealership numbers in post #44 provide some examples. For our C-body purposes December 1978 is reached at about code point 42050.
Dealerships could also opt for Chrysler-Plymouth franchises alongside their Dodge franchise, and there are many cases where dealerships coded with "Dodge numbers" carry all three makes. In rare instances, only Chrysler-Plymouth franchises are shown in the 1986 file:
53118 Lafayette Motor Co., Inc., Lafayette, LA, originally a Dodge-Plymouth dealership, by 1971 Chrysler-Plymouth only;
58821 Massey Yardley Chrysler Plymouth, Inc., Plantation, FL, previously Massey Yardley Dodge Chrysler;
41618 Wheeling Chrysler Plymouth Nissan, Inc., Wheeling, WV, started out in 1976/1977 as Ron Baker Chrysler Dodge, Inc.
In these cases, the Dodge franchise once active had been given up somewhere before 1986. As can be seen, this did not trigger a change in dealership number. The exact franchise is only relevant when a new dealership number is being issued. After that it loses its relation to the franchise(s) a dealership has signed up to.
Dealerships could also opt for Chrysler-Plymouth franchises alongside their Dodge franchise, and there are many cases where dealerships coded with "Dodge numbers" carry all three makes. In rare instances, only Chrysler-Plymouth franchises are shown in the 1986 file:
53118 Lafayette Motor Co., Inc., Lafayette, LA, originally a Dodge-Plymouth dealership, by 1971 Chrysler-Plymouth only;
58821 Massey Yardley Chrysler Plymouth, Inc., Plantation, FL, previously Massey Yardley Dodge Chrysler;
41618 Wheeling Chrysler Plymouth Nissan, Inc., Wheeling, WV, started out in 1976/1977 as Ron Baker Chrysler Dodge, Inc.
In these cases, the Dodge franchise once active had been given up somewhere before 1986. As can be seen, this did not trigger a change in dealership number. The exact franchise is only relevant when a new dealership number is being issued. After that it loses its relation to the franchise(s) a dealership has signed up to.
The lower half of the 51000-59999 block containing the Dodge-Plymouth dealership codes does not look to have been filled up in an orderly, chronological way, much unlike its upper half and the 41000-and-up block. For instance, early Dodge dealerships are scattered all over the place:
51448 John P. Hughes Motor Co., Inc., Lynchburg, VA, orig. date 06-15;
53608 George T. Tator & Sons, Inc., South Salem, NY, orig. date 06-14;
54527 Hanson Garage, Inc., Orofino, ID, orig. date 06-19.
Checking the data for code points numerically closest to these dealership numbers, it turns out that they were assigned to dealerships located in the same or adjacent state(s):
51444 Greenbrier Motor Co., Lewisburg, WV, orig. date 07-43;
51448 John P. Hughes Motor Co., Inc., Lynchburg, VA, orig. date 06-15;
51450 Holston Motor Co., Inc., Marion, VA, orig. date 01-36.
53558 Reese Bros, Inc., Lynbrook, NY, orig. date 08-40:
53608 George T. Tator & Sons, Inc., South Salem, NY, orig. date 06-14;
53619 Spitzer Columbus, Inc., Columbus, OH, orig. date 07-55.
54508 Oak Harbor Garage, Inc., Oak Harbor, WA;
54527 Hanson Garage, Inc., Orofino, ID, orig. date 06-19;
54541 Fort Benton Motor Co., Fort Benton, MT, orig. date 06-46.
The 53xxx sequence, jumping from New York to Ohio, is not very convincing, but the 51xxx and 54xxx probes are encouraging enough to take a closer look at geographical relations. The zones valid for 1986 may have looked different in scope and name during the period these codes were assigned, but they are still helpful for this test.
Take zone 44 "Syracuse", mainly covering upstate New York. The 1986 file contains ten Dodge-Plymouth codes in that zone, and one more comes from another source. The majority are found in a narrow 100+ number range:
54816/44 Delhi Motor Co., Inc., Delhi, NY, orig. date 10-36;
54821/44 Ford Garage Co., Inc., Glens Falls, NY, orig. date 06-14;
54826/44 Ralph W. Austin, Inc., Jamestown, NY, active around 1935-1936 as Dodge-Plymouth dealer;
54827/44 Howell & Pierson, Inc., Johnstown, NY, orig. date 06-36;
54844/44 Weller Motors, Inc., Rochester, NY, origin 06-30;
54885/44 Scotia Motors, Inc., Scotia, NY, orig. date 10-46;
54897/44 Pfuntner Sales & Service, Wellsville, NY, orig. date 06-38;
54899/44 Val's Motors, Inc., Lakeland, NY, orig. date 06-33;
54914/44 Paul Brown Motors, Inc., Olean, NY, orig. date 06-52;
54920/44 Penn York Valley Motors Co., Sayre, PA, orig. date 10-52.
Going by company histories, the origination dates indicate when these companies became dealerships, also the two last ones from 1952. On the other end of the time scale you have the usual Dodge dealership dating from 1914. None of them present timestamp anomalies like those shown in post #56, so that cannot explain the dates hopping back and forth.
Three examples run counter to this geographical grouping. One is an outlier from zone 44 that is inserted about 200 code points earlier, between a group of dealerships from zones 69 "Phoenix", 72 "Portland" and 74 "Denver" (Far West) and a group from zones 51 "Chicago" and 54 "St. Louis" (Mid West):
54591/44 Dansville Dodge, Inc., Dansville, NY, orig. date 04-56.
And then you have two geographically unrelated dealerships that pop up right in the middle of that zone 44 group:
54829/53 Cifaldi Motors, Cumberland, WI, active not earlier than 1955;
54856/73 Marasti Motors, Merced, CA, orig. date 06-56.
The three counter examples, also newly opened dealerships at the time indicated, have one thing in common: they are more recent than the ones in the zone 44 run. The same goes for #53619 from Columbus, OH, mentioned earlier on, with its 07-55 timestamp and closely following on earlier NY dealerships.
I suppose that at one point the geographical grouping was abandoned and that from then on new entries were inserted at unassigned code points. Of course, I picked an example where it all works out and at times the sequences can become rather messy, but I still think that this is the most likely explanation.
51448 John P. Hughes Motor Co., Inc., Lynchburg, VA, orig. date 06-15;
53608 George T. Tator & Sons, Inc., South Salem, NY, orig. date 06-14;
54527 Hanson Garage, Inc., Orofino, ID, orig. date 06-19.
Checking the data for code points numerically closest to these dealership numbers, it turns out that they were assigned to dealerships located in the same or adjacent state(s):
51444 Greenbrier Motor Co., Lewisburg, WV, orig. date 07-43;
51448 John P. Hughes Motor Co., Inc., Lynchburg, VA, orig. date 06-15;
51450 Holston Motor Co., Inc., Marion, VA, orig. date 01-36.
53558 Reese Bros, Inc., Lynbrook, NY, orig. date 08-40:
53608 George T. Tator & Sons, Inc., South Salem, NY, orig. date 06-14;
53619 Spitzer Columbus, Inc., Columbus, OH, orig. date 07-55.
54508 Oak Harbor Garage, Inc., Oak Harbor, WA;
54527 Hanson Garage, Inc., Orofino, ID, orig. date 06-19;
54541 Fort Benton Motor Co., Fort Benton, MT, orig. date 06-46.
The 53xxx sequence, jumping from New York to Ohio, is not very convincing, but the 51xxx and 54xxx probes are encouraging enough to take a closer look at geographical relations. The zones valid for 1986 may have looked different in scope and name during the period these codes were assigned, but they are still helpful for this test.
Take zone 44 "Syracuse", mainly covering upstate New York. The 1986 file contains ten Dodge-Plymouth codes in that zone, and one more comes from another source. The majority are found in a narrow 100+ number range:
54816/44 Delhi Motor Co., Inc., Delhi, NY, orig. date 10-36;
54821/44 Ford Garage Co., Inc., Glens Falls, NY, orig. date 06-14;
54826/44 Ralph W. Austin, Inc., Jamestown, NY, active around 1935-1936 as Dodge-Plymouth dealer;
54827/44 Howell & Pierson, Inc., Johnstown, NY, orig. date 06-36;
54844/44 Weller Motors, Inc., Rochester, NY, origin 06-30;
54885/44 Scotia Motors, Inc., Scotia, NY, orig. date 10-46;
54897/44 Pfuntner Sales & Service, Wellsville, NY, orig. date 06-38;
54899/44 Val's Motors, Inc., Lakeland, NY, orig. date 06-33;
54914/44 Paul Brown Motors, Inc., Olean, NY, orig. date 06-52;
54920/44 Penn York Valley Motors Co., Sayre, PA, orig. date 10-52.
Going by company histories, the origination dates indicate when these companies became dealerships, also the two last ones from 1952. On the other end of the time scale you have the usual Dodge dealership dating from 1914. None of them present timestamp anomalies like those shown in post #56, so that cannot explain the dates hopping back and forth.
Three examples run counter to this geographical grouping. One is an outlier from zone 44 that is inserted about 200 code points earlier, between a group of dealerships from zones 69 "Phoenix", 72 "Portland" and 74 "Denver" (Far West) and a group from zones 51 "Chicago" and 54 "St. Louis" (Mid West):
54591/44 Dansville Dodge, Inc., Dansville, NY, orig. date 04-56.
And then you have two geographically unrelated dealerships that pop up right in the middle of that zone 44 group:
54829/53 Cifaldi Motors, Cumberland, WI, active not earlier than 1955;
54856/73 Marasti Motors, Merced, CA, orig. date 06-56.
The three counter examples, also newly opened dealerships at the time indicated, have one thing in common: they are more recent than the ones in the zone 44 run. The same goes for #53619 from Columbus, OH, mentioned earlier on, with its 07-55 timestamp and closely following on earlier NY dealerships.
I suppose that at one point the geographical grouping was abandoned and that from then on new entries were inserted at unassigned code points. Of course, I picked an example where it all works out and at times the sequences can become rather messy, but I still think that this is the most likely explanation.
54816/44 Delhi Motor Co., Inc., Delhi, NY, orig. date 10-36;
still in business. Delhi Motor Company
i wonder if zone offices or holding lots would be included in the lists?
still in business. Delhi Motor Company
i wonder if zone offices or holding lots would be included in the lists?
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