1948 Dodge Sedan, 4-door
Donated by: Con and Joan Smith, Kearney, NE
Notable: This car was in the 2000 History Channel Great Race across the country. Supervised Kearney High School students drove the car in this race. They finished but did not place. The race went from Boston to Sacramento.
Original cost: $1,788.00 (In 1948: Average car cost, $1,250.00; average household income, $2,950.00; average home cost, $7,700.00; gallon of gas, 16 cents)
Number made: Custom sedan: 251,874
Engine, etc.: L-head (valve in head) 6 cyl.; 230 cu. in.; 100 hp; 3-speed manual transmission; 137.5 in. wheelbase; 3,281 lbs.
The 1948 Dodges were little changed in style from previous years.
Dodge wasn’t immune to postwar inflation in its prices. The Custom sedan cost $1,389 in 1946, $1,507 in 1947, and $1,788 in 1948. It was the single most popular model.
Deprived of new cars since 1942, buyers wanted comfortable, durable family cars.
With little changed from the 1942 models, the 1948 Dodges were not very different to drive. They weighed about the same, had a barely adequate engine and had no suspension or transmission improvements. Dodge didn’t follow other manufactures in introducing woody sedans or convertibles after the war – there was no need in the hot seller’s market of the time. V-8’s didn’t arrive until 1953.
The Dodges were short on excitement but long on room, comfort and mechanical toughness. Interiors are spacious by today’s standards and trimmed with quality, understated materials.
Performance was “sedate” but the engine was smooth and quiet, simple and reliable, and seemingly ran forever with only a moderate amount of attention. They were solid, well-built cars.
Many New York City street photographs taken into the mid-1950’s showed Dodge D24 taxis in the background, in service long after they ceased production. Taxis were driven 24 hours a day in extreme heat and cold, over poorly maintained streets in stop and go traffic. That these cars were still in service for up to ten years was a testament to their quality and durability.
Chrysler continued to build 1948 models during the first three months of 1949 while also building 1949 models. The models were called “first series 1949” and “second series 1949”.
Sources: http://www.allpar.com/history/chrysler-years/1945-1948.html
https://www.conceptcarz.com/z20419/dodge-custom-series.aspx
https://www.conceptcarz.com/s20419/dodge-custom-series.aspx.aspx (Specifications)
