Document Bq6eZxy3E8kr34XZn30RBj2m

Dana Corporation - History Page 6 of 14 In 1866 Victor joined the Dana family of companies, as part of Dana's strategy of diversifying int the aftermarket, and In 1993 merged with German-based gasket manufacturer Reinz to become Victor-Reinz. Weatherhead Albert Weatherhead (founder of Weatherhead & Co, holder of 75 patents) once heard the chief engineer for Studebaker say, "if you want to sell the automotive industry, you must develop an article of better quality, at less cost." The Harvard engineering graduate took the advice to heart. Returning from World War I service Franoe as a combat pilot, he bought a small shop in Cleveland and began designing and manufacturing automotive products. His first design for an automobile-engine priming Cup was successful enough. His second, for a radiator drain cock, was a breakthrough that became standard equipment for practically every car made in the United States. As with all Dana people, quality of product was not enough by itself. Weatherhead insisted on delivering his products on time and in exact quantities to his clients, who included Chevrolet an( Ford. This mix of inventiveness and dedication served the company well, and Weatherhead's product line and client list expanded steadily. By the time Weatherhead joined the Dana family ii 1977, it had become a major supplier of components used in braking, steering, air conditioning, fuel, cooling and lubricating systems, 4th vignette New York to Parle Race On February 12th, 1908,250,000 New Yorkers crowded into the Times Square district to wltnes the start of the New York to Paris Raoe, an unprecedented test of automotive reliability and endurance. The race, co-sponsored by newspapers Le Matin and The New York Times, would take the competing cars across North America to San Francisco, across Alaska, across Japan, and from Vladivostok to Paris, it would also prove that the car had come of age as a means of worldwide transport. There was a sub-plot, as well. As with Cadillac's entry In the Dewar Trophy the same year, the New York-to-Parls race was symbolic of the Transatlantic struggle to lead th automotive industry. An American car, an Italian car, a German car, and three French cars lined up to fight for the honors. The European entries were built specially for the race, but the American car, a Thomas Flyer, was from regular stock, built with parts provided by no fewer than four members of the Dana family. Salisbury provided wheels, Brown-Lipe the transmission and Parish the frame, whi forgings were provided by the General Drop Forge company. The first leg of the race from New York to San Francisco took the crews through appalling weatl conditions. The roads, bad enough at the best of times, were so blanketed in snow, or thick with mud that few believed any of the cars would reach the first checkpoint, let alone Paris. But five ( the six contestants did make it to San Francisco. The Thomas Flyer, leading the way, took a boi to Alaska, but the wealher conditions there were even more severe, and no progress at all was possible. By the time the American team had returned to Sen Francisco, the other teams had decided to bypass Alaska and had already shipped ahead to Japan. The teams started even again in Vladivostok (except for the German Protos, which had been awarded a 30 day penalty for shipping their car by train from Idaho to Seattle). French driver St. Chaffray, told by the Marquis De Dion to retire from the race, was so desperate to complete the course that he cornered the gasoline supply in Vladivostok, and tried to barter fuel for a seat on the Thomas. Rejecting the unfair pressure, the enterprising Thomas crew called on American residents, who provided a sufficient supply from their power launches. The Germans gained the lead on the road, and kept it all the way to Paris, but because of their http://www.dana.com/overview/hi stoiy/history1 .shtm 3/19/2004