Dunton Motors 119 E Andy Devine

This stop on the Discover Kingman walking tour is Kingman Powerhouse Kiwanis.

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by Jim Hinckley

About Dunton Motors

In the 1930s Taylor Owen Ford operated from the old Kingman Motor Company facility across from the railroad depot. This garage and dealership complex had been established in about 1912 by J.A. Tarr.
After razing a house and service station at Front and Second Street, a new Taylor Owen Ford dealership was built in 1946. On June 13th of that year, it was announced that the newly completed dealership was being sold to N.R. Dunton, a garage owner from Goldroad, and that it would be renamed N.R. Dunton Motor Company. In 1950, the company was again reorganized and sold to Roy Dunton, nephew of N.R., and Herb Biddulph, the first mayor of Kingman.
In about 1957, Roy Dunton bought out his partner and transformed the facility into an Edsel dealership. In 1960 with suspension of Edsel production the company began selling Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles. In 1963 it was converted to a GM franchise store.
In 1980 the facility was leased to the Mohave County Road Department. Ten years later the Dunton family resumed management and created Dunton Motors Dream Machines. The facility is also the headquarters for the Route 66 Association of Kingman Arizona.