The Chevrolet Story

It was the bond between two men with very different backgrounds that gave birth to the Chevrolet brand. One was a thinking man and the other was a free spirit. William Durant was a sharp and charismatic industrialist and financier from Boston whom many claimed was the embodiment of the spirit of the early 20th century – he was charming, intelligent, enigmatic, passionate and he was an adventurer. He was also the founder of General Motors in 1908. Louis Chevrolet, on the other hand, was someone who listened to his heart more so than his mind. He was a relentless self-taught inventor, automobile designer and inspired racing driver who set a world record (109.7km/h) in his first motorized race only to beat it (191.5km/h) later in the same year with his first self-built race car. He was also known as “The Dare-Devil Frenchman”.

The two men met when Chevrolet was driving race cars for Buick. Not long after, in 1911, they founded the “Chevrolet Motor Car Company” in Detroit. As one might expect to happen when vision, adventure, and a burning desire to excel and explore are kneaded together in a partnership, big things began to happen for the company. A year after the company was formed, the first “Classic Six” rolled off the factory floor in Detroit. This was soon followed by the 4-cylinder “Baby Grand”, the 2-seater “Royal Mail” and the “L Light-Six”. It was during these early years that the inventor and automobile designer in Louis Chevrolet began to surface and shine.

In 1914, the partnership was strained when both headstrong founders could not agree on the positioning of the company and what the brand should stand for. Things came to a head when Durant proceeded to restructure the company – whilst Chevrolet was away on vacation – to focus on building affordable cars which would compete with those manufactured by Ford. Chevrolet, who had always been interested in building “high-powered speed cars and exclusive models”, was naturally upset and considered Durant’s action as an insult. If we are to accept the accounts of Durant’s widow and Chevrolet’s sister about the argument, it was a laconic comment made by Durant which caused the break-up of the partnership. Durant had apparently suggested that Chevrolet, now an executive in the automotive industry, should change from smoking his cheap “blue collar” cigarettes to more exclusive cigars. To which Chevrolet was reported to have countered: “I sold you my automobile, I sold you my name, but I shall not sell my personality to you.” He then packed up his cigarettes and left the company.

With Durant’s decision to make the Chevrolet brand synonymous with good quality yet affordable vehicles, the brand developed quickly along those lines. In the meantime, Louis Chevrolet had returned to his passion of designing modern automobiles and participating in races. He founded the “Frontenac Motor Corporation” that same year and went on to manufacture the showpiece of the American automobile industry in the 1920s – the Frontenac. Chevrolet also ventured into designing a light aircraft engine but it was in 1932 that he made another major engineering coup – a 10-cylinder star engine. This was to be his last. Chevrolet had applied for a patent for the engine, but by the time the patent registration came through in 1935, he no longer had the strength to build up another company. Instead, he returned to work in the Chevrolet production plant in Detroit. Louis Chevrolet died on June 6, 1941, at the age of 63 at his home in Lakewood, east of Detroit – years after he was struck with a brain hemorrhage

Every Chevrolet today carries a story of the legacies left by both founders. Today’s Chevrolet is not only well built and of great quality, but is affordable for all. This is the Chevrolet value-brand insisted by William Durant. But Louis Chevrolet’s innovative spirit, a passion for performance and a love for challenges have also inspired the brand – leading it to become one of the most influential in the world today. In a Chevrolet, both need and desire complete the brand. From the smallest and humblest Chevrolet to the most endowed, there is always something about a Chevrolet that satisfies both heart and mind.

First of all, it’s a Bowtie and not a cross as many might mistake it to be. There are several theories on how the Chevrolet Bowtie logo came to be but one thing is certain – William Durant was responsible for it. Durant believed in branding and had an affinity for designs and names (he particularly loved the French sounding Chevrolet name). One account has it that the Chevrolet Bowtie logo was inspired by a pattern of the wallpaper in a Paris hotel room where Durant had stayed. His own family had always disputed this. Durant’s wife apparently saw how her husband, in 1911, discovered the sign in a newspaper advertisement for a coal company. His daughter had also written in the Durant biography that her father had drawn up the logo during dinner one evening. However, we can confirm that the Chevrolet Bowtie Logo is one of the best known symbols in America and around the world and it appeared for the first time on a vehicle in 1914.