Mopower Garage

Published by Christopher J. Holley | Mopar History & Tech | June 2025

In the thick of Chicago’s gritty west side during the early 1960s, among factory smokestacks and urban sprawl, something special was brewing in a small Dodge dealership at the corner of Grand and Spaulding Avenues. What started as just another car lot quickly became a mecca for speed freaks, muscle car maniacs, and street racers nationwide. That place was Grand Spaulding Dodge, and the man behind it—who made it legendary—was Mr. Norm, known legally as Norman Kraus.

Born into a car-crazy family, Norm’s journey into the automotive world started early. Along with his brother Len, he opened Grand Spaulding Dodge in 1962. But Norm was not interested in just moving inventory—he had a vision. He saw young guys walking into showrooms not for station wagons or slant-six sedans but for V8-powered machines that could dominate the stoplight drags. The major automakers had not quite caught on yet, but Norm was already tuning in to the heartbeat of a generation.

What separated Mr. Norm from every other Dodge dealer in the country was not just that he sold cars—it was how he sold them, built them, and believed in them. Norm was not content waiting for Chrysler to give him what his customers wanted. He took matters into his own hands.

The Birth of a Legend

One of Mr. Norm’s earliest and boldest moves came in 1967. Dodge had the all-new Dart, a compact car with great potential, but the factory would not install anything bigger than a 273 or 318 small block. Norm thought differently. His solution? Stuff a fire-breathing 383 big block into the Dart’s narrow engine bay.

It was not easy—the engine barely fit, the steering column had to be modified, and the heat soak under the hood was fierce. But once it ran, it ran. The 383 Dart blew the doors off everything in its class. Customers flocked to Grand Spaulding to get one of their own, and Chrysler took notice. By 1968, the factory offered the Dart GTS 383 as a production model—proof that one dealership in Chicago could influence the brass in Detroit.

Muscle for the Masses

As the muscle car era heated up, Mr. Norm doubled down. He was not just selling Dodge’s performance lineup—he was redefining it. He offered modified Super Bees, Chargers, Coronets, Darts, and later Challengers and Demons, all prepped with performance in mind. Grand Spaulding Dodge had something no one else did: a full performance shop with mechanics who knew racing, a chassis dyno on-site, and a reputation for building the fastest street cars in town.

Norm’s approach was a simple but powerful formula: take what Chrysler built, tweak it with aftermarket or factory speed parts, tune it to perfection, and send it out the door, ready to win. He sold cars directly off the showroom floor that were quicker than most track-prepped vehicles. From camshaft swaps and intake upgrades to custom paint and stripe packages, Mr. Norm’s cars were more than muscle; they were weapons.

National Fame

Mr. Norm was not just a Chicago legend. He became a household name among gearheads nationwide thanks to bold advertising in Hot Rod, Super Stock, and Car Craft magazines and regular features in car publications. He ran national radio ads and even offered cars by mail order—you could call Grand Spaulding Dodge, spec out your dream muscle machine, and have it delivered anywhere in the country.

Drag Racing Royalty

Norm sponsored racers and was often seen at dragstrips across the Midwest, always looking for ways to make cars go faster. He assessed new setups on customer cars, dynoed them at the dealership, and incorporated that data into every build. His dealership was a hybrid between a speed shop, a race team, and a Dodge showroom—something unique in its time.

The End of an Era

By the mid-1970s, tightening emissions standards, the energy crisis, and insurance penalties started choking the life out of the muscle car market. Grand Spaulding Dodge, like many other performance-focused businesses, began to struggle as government regulations changed the rules of the game.

Still, the legend never faded. Mr. Norm remained a symbol of the glory days, and decades later, he made a comeback—offering high-performance packages for late-model Mopars, like supercharged Challengers and performance-tuned Chargers. Even into the 2000s and 2010s, cars carrying the Mr. Norm nameplate carried weight at shows, auctions, and among collectors.

A Legacy That Lives On

Mr. Norm passed away in 2021, but his influence lives on wherever Dodge enthusiasts gather. Whether at a car show, a swap meet, or the dragstrip, the mention of “Mr. Norm” brings a knowing nod from Mopar fans.

Why? Because Mr. Norm was not just a salesman. He was a car guy who loved horsepower, competition, and giving regular people access to serious performance. He did not wait for Dodge to catch up—he dragged them into the muscle car era, one-quarter mile at a time.

Grand Spaulding Dodge may be long gone, but its legend is written in rubber on Chicago pavement and etched in the hearts of Dodge lovers everywhere.