The 1938 Dodge D8 was a car that dared to be different. With better-integrated headlights than a Chevy and a more thoughtful sedan body design than a Ford, it has a distinctive appearance that's rare today. This one lets you show off that distinction quite well with upgrades to the motor, suspension, and five-speed that make this classic a better cruiser.
This is a cool car for many of us. It has an incognito kind of style that starts with the paint. The black has a mature style. It .....
still looks quite complete out on the streets, but there is a definite aged-in style when people look up close. So there are going to be some people out there who just assume you are driving an 85-year-old survivor! And when a car has the appearance of history, people often take some extra time to appreciate the details. Curvy fenders, full running boards, and an integrated trunk back style are all pure 1930s cool. Plus, the brightwork is quite distinct. The grille uses horizontal slats and a waterfall center to funnel all your attention to the Dodge logo at the top center. There's also a trim line that starts at this grille and runs the full body until it tapers off in the trunk line. The whole package is very complete, and so you could always use this as a base for a respray/restoration. But we already like how this one is presented. It's very vintage with just the right hints of an upgraded cruiser in little details like the maroon rally-style wheels and the dual polished exhaust tips.
We love the look of suicide doors on a sedan. It lets you open up fully and show it off to the world. And since this one also has a practical side, it gives everyone good access to the spacious and comfy interior. The front seats were updated to well-bolstered high-back buckets borrowed from a late-model car. The side panels and rear bench are reupholstered in a similar comfy cloth to the front to give the whole car a very uniform feeling. The atmosphere inside lies to stay vintage, but there are nice details, like the working heater, thick rubber floor mats, front seatbelts, and the maroon on the door tops and dash that coordinate with the wheels. And while the gauges and steering wheel are vintage and likely stock, the pattern on the shifter is certainly something much more advanced.
Under the hood is an interesting setup. Dodge/Chrysler used its flathead inline-six both before and after WWII. So the motor seen here it's the correct style, but we're told it's actually a later/larger 1950s 230 cubic-inch flathead-six. We're also told it has been rebuilt and bored .30 over. It certainly runs like a strong powerhouse and we do love the other touches of hot rod upgrades, like the dual arbs and split manifold for a true dual exhaust. It's all about making this classic Dodge a smooth cruiser, and you even have handy updates like a 12-volt electric system and an alternator. The transmission has been upgraded to a GM five-speed unit to give you good radio for power and the ease of synchromesh. Plus, the upgraded tubular A-arm front end, power steering, power brakes, and front discs make for quite a solid driver.
There's a lot of fun that can be had with a pre-war Dodge that looks so authentic on the outside but has taken the right steps beneath the skin to be quite a nice cruiser. Call today!!!