This model represents the 1932 Graham Blue Streak bodystyle, but Graham did not build any trucks after 1928. However, this is not your average fantasy truck. There's a story to be told.
Three Graham siblings banded together in 1919 to form Graham Brothers truck company in Evansville, Indiana. At first they sold kits to modify the Ford Model T but soon experimented with other manufacturer's engines and chassis in an effort to create something more personal. By 1921 they had settled on using Dodge Brothers components for both and sold the trucks through Dodge Brothers dealers.
The Dodge Brothers were huge in the formation of American automobiles. They supplied parts for many automakers when the industry was in its infancy and were major shareholders in the formation of Ford Motor Company. They had been building thier own automobiles since 1914 under the Dodge Brothers name.
Dodge Brothers bought out Graham Brothers in 1927 but they retained the old name. In 1928, Chrysler Corporation bought out the Dodge Brothers. All Graham Brothers trucks became Dodge Brothers trucks in 1929 and both cars and trucks were shortened to Dodge in 1930.
Meanwhile, the Dodge Brothers took their Chrysler windfall and bought the Paige Motor Car Company, which had been building cars since 1909. They couldn't use their own name so they appended the two existing names and became Graham-Paige. Paige was dropped in 1930 and the marque was then simply called Graham.
The 1932 Graham Blue Streak that Tootsietoy modeled is one of the most influential automobile designs in history, but we're here to talk trucks. The Graham company struggled and eventually partnered with Hupmobile in 1939. They couldn't make a go of it and both companies suspended production in 1940. They would reopen during World War II to produce supplies for the military.
Graham-Paige remained solvent thanks to their war efforts and in 1946 their new president Joseph Frazer partnered with steel magnate Henry Kaiser and the automotive assets were transferred to a new company called Kaiser-Frazer. The rest of Graham-Paige concentrated on real estate and evolved into Madison Square Garden Corporation.
Frazer left in 1951 over internal disagreements and that company became simply Kaiser. Kaiser bought the troubled Willys-Overland auto company in 1953. Things continued to go badly and in 1955, both Kaiser and Willys automobiles ceased production. But they had this one product that was doing OK. The Jeep. Chrysler would end up with that one too.
So this Graham wrecker never existed. But we can consider it as a concept showcar for both the Dodge Ram pickup and the Jeep.
