Chevrolet

Chevrolet
Chevrolet is a brand of cars produced by the company of the same name, which is part of the General Motors concern. The automaker is headquartered in Warren, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan.

Chevrolet Motor Company was founded in 1911 by the famous racing driver Louis Chevrolet and the owner of General Motors William Duran.

Louis Chevrolet was born into a watchmaker’s family in Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. When he was ten, the family moved to France, where the future racer graduated from high school and got a job at the Mors car company. Cars became the main passion of his life, and the young man became an avid racer who took part in all the sports where Morses exhibited.

Later he moved to Canada and then to the USA, where he worked as a representative of the French car factory De Dion-Bouton. However, he is more attracted to the races in which Louis participates regularly. A talented racer and mechanic, he attracted the attention of major players in the American automobile market, among whom was the owner of General Motors, William Durant. By that time, he had bought up several auto enterprises, but suffered such losses that the bankers agreed to invest in his offspring only on the condition that Duran himself leaves the post of president of the company.

In November 1911, a company was registered that took the name of the famous racing driver. When things started to look up, Durant made a big move: he merged General Motors with Chevrolet, bought out a controlling stake, and again headed the already lost company.

In 1911, the first car of the brand appeared – the Chevrolet Classic-Six. It was a four-seat car with a six-cylinder engine developing 30 hp. At $2,500, compared to $500 for a Ford-T, Chevrolet’s firstborn couldn’t count on success.

Chevrolet Classic-Six (1912)

In the same year, sales of the first Chevrolet car began in Russia. It was a Chevrolet T-90, which was equipped with a 4.9-liter engine with 30 hp. At the same time, its maximum speed was 105 km / h.

The failed sales of the first car in the United States did not make the founders of the company give up. Duran realized that the success lies in the low price. Over the next few years, cars appeared that cost no more than a thousand dollars. These were the H model with a 24 hp four-cylinder engine, as well as the Baby Grand and Royal Mail.

Chevrolet’s main competitor in the US market was the Ford Motor Company, which at that time was winning the market with the practical and cheap Model T. To compete with the impeccable market leader, Duran’s company began to develop a new cheap Chevrolet 490, the price of which was reflected in the name.

The car appeared in 1915. The list of standard equipment of the novelty included an ammeter, a speedometer and dome lights. It was equipped with a four-cylinder engine, which was paired with a three-speed gearbox.

Chevrolet 490 (1915–1922)

The appearance of a competitor did not bother Henry Ford, who had already introduced a production conveyor at his enterprises. Also in 1915, he cuts the price of the Model T to $440.

However, the Chevrolet 490 should not be underestimated – the price difference was insignificant, but Duran’s brainchild was equipped with a more powerful 2.8-liter engine and had one gear more. In addition, the model received a starter, which at that time was not an option for all expensive cars. Buyers soon compared both models and began to actively buy 490.

In 1915, 20,000 Chevrolet 490s were sold, in 1916 almost three times as many, and three years later, more than 100,000 units of the model. The success of the car brought a good profit, which allowed Duran to buy out a controlling stake in GM. After 1917, the brand became owned by the concern.

At the same time, a cat ran between the two founders of Chevrolet. After falling out with Durand, Louis Chevrolet moved from the US to Switzerland and no longer attracted public attention.

Duran also retired from GM in the 1920s. This was caused by a drop in sales of the automaker and a decrease in the value of shares. Duran was forced to sell it. The new owners got rid of all the unprofitable brands that Duran bought at one time, but Chevrolet remained in the concern’s portfolio.

In 1923, the 490, which was considered obsolete, was replaced by the Superior with a 26-horsepower 2.8-liter four-cylinder engine. In the first year, 480,000 units of the car were sold. The brand establishes production in Europe, where already in 1924 a Chevrolet truck appeared.

In the same year, the millionth car rolls off the assembly line of the automaker, and the installation of air-cooled engines begins on the model.

In an effort to succeed in the race with Ford Motor, the brand is working hard to improve the technical stuffing of their cars. Since 1924, Chevrolet owners have been able to listen to the radio in their cars. In 1929, a six-cylinder engine was created, the production of which continued until 1984. Since 1934, the installation of an independent front suspension on passenger cars begins.

On the eve of the Great Depression and during it, the company felt relatively stable. In 1930, the annual production of automobiles amounted to 7 million units.

In 1932, the Chevrolet Sport Roadster was released, the advertising campaign of which was held under the slogan “Great American Value.” In design, it resembled the cars of the luxury brand Cadillac. The model received a folding seat built into the rear of the body, as well as a six-cylinder engine, which was equipped with a valve mechanism located at the top. Thanks to this, the car was powerful, easy to control and economical. Until now, many Chevrolet collectors consider this model the most successful of all produced.

Chevrolet Sport Roadster (1932)

The Suburban model, released in 1935, became the ancestor of a new class – multi-seat universal cars. In his body there were no longer wooden parts, and the interior was so huge that it could accommodate 8 people. In addition, the model could offer a full trunk. She became the longest-running car in the United States.

Chevrolet Suburban (1935)

In the 40s, Royal-Clipper cars came out, which received improved lamps and a hood that facilitates access to the engine. In this model, there was no longer a single wooden body element.

During the Second World War, Chevrolet produced not only civilian, but also military vehicles. These were cars and trucks, and in addition, trailers, shells, parts of ninety-millimeter anti-aircraft guns that fired at a distance of up to five miles.

The automaker also produces Pratt & Whitney engines intended for long-range bombers.

On January 30, 1942, the company stopped producing cars for the civilian population, focusing entirely on products for the military.

After the end of the war, the automaker returned to the production of pre-war models, which were slightly improved.