Dort

US, 1915 – 1924

Dort Motor Car Co, Flint, Mich.

Joshya Dallas Dort had been building Dort carriages for many years when he decided to go over to car manufacture. His 1915 Dort Model 5 was the first car he produced, and he went on to sell some 107.000 cars altogheter. 1916-1917 Dort cars were similar to the Model 5, but there were 4-doors now instead of 3 on the five-seater tourer. A Dort fleur-de-lys roadster and a centre-door sedan were added and prices for Dort cars ranged from $695 to $1065. The engine, a 4-cylinder L-head 2.7-litre Lycoming, had thermosiphon cooling and the axle was of the three-quarter-floating type. All Dort cars were equipped with cantilever rear and semi-elliptic front springs.

Lycoming’s famous 4-cylinder L-head Model K engine was adopted in the Dort for sale in 1918 – capacity was 3.1-litres-  but the old clutch and and service brake controls were retained, both on the same pedal: the other pedal operated the ‘emergency’ brake. Open Dort cars cost $865, the sedan and a coupé $1265. A ‘Dort sedanette’ was introduced at $1.000; this had removable sides. 1919 Dort cars for sale were similar but higher in price. 1920 brought such improvements to the Dort as conventional pedal controls, a hand-brake lever, and the removal of the petrol tank to the rear. Although prices had risen to $985 - $1535, this was probably the Dort firm’s most successful period and more than 30.000 Dort cars were sold.

A new phase began in 1921 for Dort, with Rolls-Royce-type radiators and longer bodies, in 1922 an unusual 9-window Dort sedan and a delivery van joined the range. Improvements included a disc instead of cone clutch, spiral bevel gears, S.S. tyres and, later, Lynite pistons which, with a heavy 2-bearing crankshaft, provided good torque; maximum rpm were 2000 and engine rating was 19.6hp. Prices for the Dort models ranged from $865 to $1445. Dort cars were little changed in 1923, when sports models were given disc wheels. A six with a Falls ohv power unit was added to the Dort range. The popular Dort fours were abandoned, surprisingly, in 1924. The Dort six, a smooth, powerful car with forced lubrication, was given new body styles, but retained its 2-wheel brakes. Dort ceased production in this same year and another marque passed into history.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; CM

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