1920 Gray-Dort; Spectacular survivor
Gray -Dort Motors was a Canadian automobile manufacturer in Chatham, Ontario, Canada from 1915 to 1925. It started as Canadian carriage works of William Gray & Sons Company Ltd, founded in 1855 by William Gray. In the mid-1900s Robert Gray began to build Ford bodies for the Walkerville factory.
In 1915, Robert Gray obtained the Canadian rights to manufacture the Dort automobile from Flint automobile manufacturer J.Dallas Dort and that year Gray-Dort was formed. They produced two models the first year, a Model 4 roadster and a Model 5 touring car.
As the Gray and Sons carriages already had a very strong reputation of quality and already established network of dealers which spanned the country. This was a great help in reaching committed clients with means to purchase a car. Over the years Gray-Dort became known for their cars of reliable quality, which started easily in all weather conditions. Over the course of its lifetime, Gray- Dort manufactured around 26,000 automobiles.
At the peak of its popularity in the early 1920s, the Gray – Dort Company had over 800 employees at three different plants: Sheet metal, body-building and assembly. They also had over 300 dealers across the country. It was among the the four most popular car makes in Canada along with Ford, Chevrolet and McLaughlin-Buicks (and outsold Chevrolet for a period in Ontario). Indigenous Canadian Automobiles have been rare due to strong U.S. influence and a small population spread over vast are. This resulted in most cars built in Canada being based on American designs. The Grays wanted to incorporate as much local content as possible, which eventually reached 60 per cent.
Grey -Dort had a 192.4 cid Lycoming Thermo-Syphon cooled four cylinder engine producing 21 horse power. Selective sliding three speed transmission with reverse gear, single disc clutch, spiral bevel drive. Rear axle is semi-floating with transverse semi-elliptic leaf springs, contracting transmission brake system. The Gray-Dort was adapted to Canadian conditions with such modifications as a wider track, a feature which would later be used in U.S. models as well. It had a cowl-mounted gasoline tank with the filler spout inside the cabin. In 1918, when Dort company made a model-change Gray -Dort found itself with an inventory of obsolete parts. Instead of scrapping the parts, they were used to produce the Gray-Dort Special Touring at a very competitive price. It soon became company’s best seller, including some sales in the U.S. Improvements continued, and in 1920 fuel tank and the filler were moved to the rear of the car. A new Rolls Royce – like radiator shape was introduced in 1922, wheelbase was lengthened, and disc brakes and front and rear bumpers were introduced. It even had an automatic backup light, claimed to be first as a standard equipment. Overhead-valve six-cylinder engine came in 1923.
During the 8 years Grey-Dort was produced, they offered full line of models, including open touring cars, closed sedans two-passenger coupes and two-passenger roadsters. In the latter days of the firm’s existence, they were attempting to move into light trucks, but the company failed before production could be started.
In 1924 the Dort Motor company decided to cease production sending the Gray company to serious debt. Gray could not find suitable partner to manufacture the chassis. With its U.S. supplier gone, Gray-Dort sales dropped like a stone as purchasers feared buying an “orphan”. Gray-Dort struggled into 1925 selling leftover stock before it left Canadian automotive scene.
sources:
/www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/the-gray-dort-touring-car
http://www.classiccarweekly.net/2019/08/26/gray-dort-touring/
https://www.chathamthisweek.com/2014/04/01/gray-dorts-little-roadster-was-a-rare-automobile
https://www.pressreader.com/canada/times-colonist/20111209/282557310034468
