Mopar fans knew him simply as “Mr. Norm,” as he and his dealership were synonymous with Dodge performance in the 1960s.
Norman Kraus founded Chicago’s Grand Spaulding Dodge in 1962, right as the muscle car era was set to explode. Mr. Norm’s strategy was to focus on performance, and Grand Spalding Dodge quickly became the Mopar community’s prime source for all manner of go-fast parts.
He would champion Dodge performance both on the street and at NHRA dragstrips. In fact, in an altered wheelbase Coronet, Grand Spaulding team driver Gary Dyer would often best the factory-backed Dodge racers.
As a final chapter in the waning musclecar era, Kraus sold Grand Spaulding Dodge in 1977, and the dealership closed for good in the 1980s. Mr. Norm still made the scene over the next several decades, appearing at car shows, races, and various automotive events.
The Mr. Norm legacy still lives on today, in custom performance packages for late-model Dodge/Chrysler cars and trucks. Check them out at MrNorms.com.
A few years ago, Hemmings ran a more in-depth story on Mr. Norm, you can read that here.
RIP Mr. Norm.
I grew up in Chicago and lived not that far from Mr Niorms dealership. I met him a couple of times at the MCACN car sows. RIP Mr Norm.
R.I.P. a good friend gone way to early. Live on Norm and Fran