12 cars that made Chrysler

A look at the most important cars in the company's history as the carmaker faces another major turning point.

• Cars that wrecked Chrysler

But its history dates back much farther than the Chrysler name and is tied to the most iconic American car ever made, the Model T Ford.

Brothers Horace and John Dodge were among the earliest auto parts suppliers, making about 80% of the mechanical parts used in the Ford Model T between 1903 and 1912.

The Dodge brothers eventually became major shareholders in Ford. Wealthy from their holdings they went on to build their own car, a famously tough all-steel bodied touring car. That vehicle made Dodge synonymous with "dependability" for forty years.

Horace and John died in 1920 from a flu contracted during the New York Auto Show. Their car company was acquired by Chrysler Corporation in 1928.

Sources: Walter P. Chrysler Museum; "Chrysler: The Life and Times of an Automotive Genius," by Vincent Curcio (Oxford University Press); "Wheels for the World: Henry Ford, His Company, and a Century of Progress," by Douglas Brinkley (Viking)