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Gray-Dort Motors was a Canadian 
Image of some Gray-Dort automobiles
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Canada Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1885 Defunct companies of Ontario History of manufacturing in Ontario 1923 disestablishments in Ontario 1900s cars 1910s cars 1920s cars Canadian companies established in 1855 {{Vintage-auto-stub
automobile
A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...
manufacturing company in Chatham, Ontario, which operated from 1915 to 1925.
Formation
Gray-Dort Motors started as the carriage works of William Gray & Sons Company Ltd., founded in 1855 by William Gray. In the mid-1900s, William's father and president of the company, Robert Gray, began to build car bodies for the Ford factory inWalkerville, Ontario
Walkerville, Ontario, is a former town in Canada, that is today a heritage precinct of Windsor, Ontario. The town was founded by Hiram Walker in 1890, owner and producer of Canadian Club Whisky. Walker planned it as a 'model town’, (originally ...
, until 1912.
In 1915, Robert Gray obtained the Canadian rights to manufacture the Dort automobile from manufacturer Josiah Dallas Dort
Josiah Dallas Dort (February 27, 1861 – May 17, 1925) was an American engineer and automobile pioneer of the United States automobile industry. He was born in Inkster, Michigan on February 27, 1861. His father was a well-to-do country squire a ...
, in Flint, Michigan
Flint is the largest city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Flint River (Michigan), Flint River northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan, Mid Michigan region. Flin ...
. Later that year, Gray-Dort Motors Ltd. was formed. Gray-Dort produced two models in its first year of operation: the Model 4 roadster and the Model 5 touring car.
Throughout its lifetime, Gray-Dort manufactured around 26,000 automobiles. During this period, they also produced bodies for the locally built Chatham automobiles. Three body styles were offered: the tourer
Touring car and tourer are both terms for open cars (i.e. cars without a fixed roof). "Touring car" is a style of open car built in the United States which seats four or more people. The style was popular from the early 1900s to the 1930s. The ...
, coupe
A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and typically with two doors.
The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the Fr ...
and the sedan.
Dissolution
In 1923, after several years of successful but stressful business, Josiah Dallas Dort left the business. A few months later, Dort died during a golf session. As the company's easy access to U.S. mechanical parts abruptly came to a close, Gray-Dort Motors began to lose money. They scrambled to find another U.S.-based partner to no avail. The last few years of the business were spent liquidating assets.See also
* Dort Motor Car CompanyReferences
External links
Image of some Gray-Dort automobiles
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Canada Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1885 Defunct companies of Ontario History of manufacturing in Ontario 1923 disestablishments in Ontario 1900s cars 1910s cars 1920s cars Canadian companies established in 1855 {{Vintage-auto-stub