A Look Back At The History Of Chevrolet

Chevrolet was named after its founder, Louisthe company's commercial fortunes and, by 1913,
Chevrolet who gained fame as a racing car driver inDurant had struck a deal with GM to take Chevrolet
the early years of the motor cars history. The backingover but he was not yet strong enough to wrench
came from William Durant, who had founded Generalcontrol of GM back...yet.
Motors but, in a corporate bloodbath had been oustedBy 1916, Chevrolet was extremely profitable and this
from control of GM and turned out. Durant immediatelymade Durant extremely rich (Louis too, but Louis now
looked for opportunities within the car industry and setstarts to fade from the story). Using this wealth, Durant
about laying the foundation for an automobilewas able to buy a majority stake in General Motors
conglomerate with which to regain control of hishis strategy had paid off, and now he set about
beloved GM.removing those who had seen his departure from GM
Durant and Chevrolet had a lengthy history together6 years previously.
before they set up Chevrolet. Durant had headedChevrolet became one of the all-time, best selling car
Buick prior to founding GM, and Chevrolet had beenmarques in the US and around the world, and has
hired to race Buicks on the racing circuit. As a result,been part of the GM family ever since its acquisition.
Louis Chevrolet was well-known, especially amongstChevrolet's biggest impact on the US car market took
car aficionados, and Durant instantly recognized a wayplace in the post-Second World War years; the golden
to harness Louis' reputation to serve his ownera of the big car with chrome and fins the 1950's and
corporate comeback.1960's. Chevy became synonymous with car design
Designs for the first Chevy prototypes were alreadyand style, with extremely long cars, exceptional
off the design board and ready for production beforechrome and bodywork combined with luxury and
the company was incorporated. In fact, the high-endperformance without a supercar price tag. By 1963,
Series-C Classic Six was already built before the10% of all cars sold in the US were Chevy's, and the
doors had opened for business, and it was designed tocompany had a dominant grip on the North American
strict instructions laid down by Louis himself.car market.
The company logo has long been a source ofThe oil crisis of the 1970's ushered in an era of high
controversy over its origins. Louis' parents were Swissgas prices which severely dented Chevrolet's
and some believed the car marque was a stylizedcommercial performance. Chevy's were known for
Swiss cross, however others have argued that Durantconspicuous gas consumption, the company being the
saw the pattern on some French wallpaper. Thefirst to offer a fuel-injected engine in the 1950's for
argument seems to have been settled by car historian,instance. This was fine when gas prices were
Ken Kaufman and others who have identified theextremely low, but as oil prices soared, Chevy sales
source of the Chevy marque as being based onplummeted and the company found itself competing
another company's logo Coalettes a manufacturer ofagainst a wave of cheap Japanese imported cars
man-made, burning coals.which delivered extremely good gas mileage.
Durant was keen to broaden the range of cars underThe future of the Chevrolet marque was put into
the Chevy brand, as well as to extend the company'sdoubt as a result of the recent economic crisis which
influence amongst other car makers and distributors. Aled its parent, GM to declare bankruptcy. Fortunately,
deal was struck with Buick to allow Chevy chassisafter a restructuring the Chevrolet has been retained
with Buick bodies to be sold, with manufacture takingas one of the slimmed down stable of car marques to
place at Chevy's Toronto plant in Canada. This was abe used by the rejuvenated General Motors.
phenomenally successful deal for Chevy, and sealed