Founded in 1900 by Horace and John Dodge, the Dodge Brothers Company of Detroit produced chassis and engine components for the quickly growing number of automobile manufacturers in the city. They graduated to full automobile manufacture in 1914. Dodge started building trucks at the request of the U.S. Military in World War I, and production of civilian commercial vehicles started in 1918. The Dodge Brothers half-ton pickup was powered by a 212-cubic inch, four-cylinder engine that was coupled with a 114-inch wheelbase chassis, and it stayed in production until 1928.

This particular 1921 model was sold new in Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey, in 1921, but it was never picked up from the dealership. As a result, the vehicle sat in the dealership for nearly 20 years before it was put to work to help the war effort, like most out-of-use vehicles were. The dealership lent the vehicle to the town of Peapack, and it was used to deliver coal for the duration of World War II.

After it was relieved from duty at the end of the war, the truck was parked in the basement of its original dealership, where it would sit for over 60 years. The truck was rediscovered recently, and the current owner went to great lengths to have it excavated from the basement, with the intentions of keeping it in its as-discovered condition. Likely due to the fact that the truck was preserved by steam emanating from the building’s furnace, which was also located in the basement, the engine still runs, and the pickup truck has been driven very short distances on a few occasions since its reappearance. This truck is offered here in as-found, original condition, minus the replacement of a single tire. It is documented by a numbered plaque that attests to its duty during the war, which is affixed to the truck itself, and it is still wearing its original “sold” sign.

This Dodge Brothers Pickup is, in the truest sense, a “time-warp” example. Further, it is a bona fide survivor that has served in the war with honor and distinction. If you’re in the market for an original and unrestored pre-war automobile that stood the test of time, look no further.