Dort Motor Car Company, an early American car maker based in Flint, Michigan, is a lesser-known yet historically significant brand in the automotive industry. Founded in 1915 by Josiah Dallas Dort and William Crapo Durant, Dort Motor Car initially thrived by producing a range of vehicles known for their durability and affordability. The company’s original model, the Dort Model 5 Touring, epitomized early automotive innovation with features that appealed to the burgeoning market of middle-class Americans seeking reliable transportation.

Despite a promising start and the production of around 9,000 cars in its peak year of 1920, the Dort Motor Car Company faced insurmountable challenges as the automotive industry evolved. Josiah Dort’s departure in 1924 signaled the beginning of the end, with the company ceasing all automotive production shortly thereafter, in 1924.

Today, Dort is remembered more for its contributions to automotive history than for any current endeavors. The brand’s legacy is encapsulated in the few remaining Dort vehicles, which are cherished by collectors and enthusiasts who appreciate the pioneering spirit of early American automakers. Although Dort no longer produces vehicles, its brief but impactful existence continues to be studied and admired in the annals of automotive history.

Main image via: By <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/50697352@N00">F. D. Richards</a> from Clinton, MI – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/50697352@N00/9420101410/">Automobiles Manufactured in Kalamazoo, Michigan</a>, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

Logo via: By <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/31411679@N08">Alden Jewell</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/autohistorian/6113179245/">1918 Dort Sedan and Sedanet</a>, CC BY 2.0, Link