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Already well known for his earlier automobiles, George Preston Dorris
started the Dorris Motor Car Company in the former St Louis Motor Carriage plant in 1906. Featuring unitized
construction of the engine, gearcase and radiator, Dorris starting building hearses on their standard 30hp 101 inch
touring car chassis in 1911. Later coaches could be built on the 60hp 132 inch chassis that appeared a few years
later. In addition to their professional cars, Dorris offered a series of light and medium duty
commercial vehicles on 2 and 3-ton chassis from starting in 1911. Automobile production ceased in 1925, but the firm
stayed open building a few trucks and buses through 1928.
In 1913 Dorris offered an unusual vehicle caller the Dorris Draped Motor Catafalque. This funeral vehicle
featured an open casket area surround on three sides by large black drapes and a black draped valance that extended
over the rear wheels to the ground.
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DORRIS (US) 1912-1925 Dorris Motor Car Co., St. Louis, Mo.
This manufacturer began the manufacture of passenger automobiles in 1906,
but the first commercial vehicle was not launched until six years later.
This original model was a 3/4-tonner with pneumatic tires, later joined by a
2-ton stake truck and a 3-tonner chassis. These all used Dorris-built
4-cylinder ohv engines. From 1916 to 1925, there were only seven basic
models, with the K-4 dating from 1918 and the K-7 from 1919. These were 2Y2-
and 3Y2-tonners respectively. During the last three years of commercial
production, Dorris also offered two models of buses, models M-4 and L-6 with
4- and 6-cylinder engines, respectively. There was also a gasoline-electric
bus made in 1925 which had a General Electric generator and motor. During 13
years of commercial production, there were 3951 Dorris trucks built. GMN
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