timeline

1909
William Durant, asked Louis Chevrolet, a well known race car driver, to help design a car.

1911
The Chevrolet Motor Car Co. enters the automobile market on Nov. 3.
Durant chose to name the company after Louis Chevrolet, because he likes the sound of the name.

1912
Chevrole hits the streets
with the "Classic Six"
Its 299-cubis-inch, 6-cylinder engine.
Production of 2,999 for Chevrolet and little's.

1913
First Chevrolets to wear the famous "Bow Tie" emblem.
Model year production reaches 5,987 (Although separate from Chevrolet, Little Motor Cars production totals are total together. By year's end the cars were badged as Chevrolets.

1914
It was during 1914 that Willian Durant and Louis Chevrolet parted ways. Chevrolet was incensed at Duranr's introduction of the inexpensive little cars. He considered unworthy of his name.
According to legend, the hot-tempered Chevrolet stormed into Durant office and tossed his Chevrolet stock on Durant's desk.
After Years of one failed venture after another.
Louis ending his days as a assembly-line mechanic in a plant bearing his name.
If he had only kept those stock certificates, he would have been a wealthy man.
Total production all models 5,005.

1915
Production for calendar year was 13,605.
(Ford Model T Production 308,162.)

1917

Electric starter and lights now standard.
V-8 Debuts as a 1918 model
125,882 cars place Chevrolet fourth in sales standings.

1918
Chevrolet becomes part of General Motors.
Fifst commercial vehicles offered.
Production down to 95,660 (the war)

Series D (V-8) production by the year.
1917 was 511 at $1,385
1918 was 2,199
1919 was 71

1919
Series D V-8 Discontinued at midyear.
Durant purchase 60% of Fisher body.
General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) founded.
Total production 149,904

1920
Durant leaves Chevrolet and GM.
Pierre duPont new GM president.
Production 150,226

1921
Chevrolet drops from third in sales to fifth. (due to recession)
Advisors viewed the Chevrolet Div. as hopeless, and recommended its liquidation.
Production 76,370

1922
Sales triple, Chevrolet once again in second place.
Radio offered as an option.
Production 243,479.

1923
"copper-cooled" (air -cooled) engine stop after 500 built (because it overheated)

production 480,737

1924
Total producion 307,775

1925
Chevrolet two-millionth car produced during 1925.
Production for the year 519,229.

In the 1880s, Billy Durant, a entrepreneur from Flint, Michigan, made a little road cart into the world's largest carriage company. Durant seeing a future for the automobile, he bought Buick in 1904. With visions of a automotive empire he established a new holding company that he called General Motors in 1908.
He brought Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac and others into General Motors. He soon over-extended himself, and by 1910 had lost control of GM to the bankers. Durant started again. In 1911 he established another company called Republic Motors kind of new General Motors. In Flint, he was instrumental in organizing the Mason Motor Co. to build engines, and the Little Motor Car Co., with cars powered by Mason engines.
He then established a new company called the Chevrolet Motor Co. in Detroit, and gradually lost interest in Republic. Racing driver Louis Chevrolet was hired to design a new car to be called the Chevrolet.
The Louis Chevrolet-designed Classic Six wasn't the kind of car that Durant had wanted. It was large, expensive, and had a six-cylinder engine, but since the public announcement had been made, Durant proceeded with production. Durant and Louis Chevrolet would soon part company, although the Chevrolet name stayed.
Both the Chevrolet Classic Six and the little car were offered for sale. The lower priced four cylinders little sold well, although Sixes would be offered for several years. The little was continued only until a new, smaller Chevrolet could be designed.
This new, light, Series-H Chevrolet appeared in 1914 bearing the soon-to-be-famous bow-tie badge. A 170 cu in. overhead valve four-cylinder engine powered it, and its two series had the intriguing names of Baby Grand and Royal Mail. In 1915 a dressed up model called the Amesbury Special joined the lineup. They were the first Chevrolets to sell for under $1,000.
These Chevrolet models were well received, and Durant was ready to take aim at Henry Ford's all conquering Model T. The car he planned for this assault was the Chevrolet Four-Ninety, a stripped down version of the Series-H. It went into production in June 1915.
To aim directly at Ford, Durant said the new car would be priced at $490 (the source of its name), The. Model T touring. Its introductory price was $550, however, although it was reduced to $490 later when the electric starter and lights were made a $60 option. Henry Ford responded by reducing the Model T to $440.

1916
Durant regains control of General Motors by trading Chevrolet stock for GM stock.
70,721 Chevrolet Produced for the model year.

Chevrolet Bowtie History The Chevrolet Bowtie has been one of the World's most recognized trademarks since 1913, when William C. Durant first introduced the symbol that represents Chevrolet's winning success! We have all heard the legend how Durant copied the bowtie design from the wallpaper in a Paris Hotel. The Chevrolet Story, printed in 1961, told the story this way: "It originated in Durant's imagination when, as a world traveler in 1908, he saw the pattern marching off into infinity as a design on wallpaper in a French hotel. He tore off a piece of the wallpaper and kept it to show friends with the thought that it would make a good nameplate for a car." Wife Always Has The Last! Margery Durant in her book. My Father wrote in 1929 her version of how her father designed the Chevrolet Bowtie: "As in the case of the Buick, my father drew name-plates on pieces of paper at the dinner table. I think it was between the soup and the fried chicken one night that he sketched out the design that is used on the Chevrolet car to this day." According to Mrs. Durant, the bowtie emblem was first seen by her husband in an illustrated Virginia newspaper, while they were vacationing in Hot Springs, Virginia around 1912. Mrs. Durant was quoted as recalling, "We were in a suite reading the papers, and he saw this design and said, 'I think this would be a very good emblem for the Chevrolet' " She did not explain how the newspaper used the emblem. The 75th Anniversary issue of The Chevrolet Story, 1986, gave both bowtie story versions with the comment that Billy Durant, himself, confirmed the Paris hotel story, which was later refuted by his wife with the Sunday newspaper in Virginia story. Chevrolet Media Productions then wrapped things up by writing: "Whatever the source, the Bowtie proved to be a recognizable winner, and is still the marquee of today's Chevrolet." The source of Mrs. Durant's account is Lawrence R Gustin, who interviewed Catherine Durant for his book, Billy Durant. Creator of General Motors, 1973, and recorded her story of the bowtie in this book.

FACTS about the 1920's 106,521,537 people in the United States 2,132,000 unemployed, Unemployment 5.2% Life expectancy: Male 53.6, Female 54.6 343.000 in military (down from 1,172,601 in 1919) Average annual earnings $1236; Teacher's salary $970 Dow Jones High 100 Low 67 Illiteracy rate reached a new low of 6% of the population. It took 13 days to reach California from New York There were 387,000 miles of paved road.

FACTS about 1913 to 1919. Population: 92,407,000 Life Expectancy: Male 48.4 Female: 51.8 Average Salary $750 / year The Ziegfeld girls earned $75/week. Unemployed 2,150,000 National Debt: $1.15 billion Union Membership: 2.1 million Strikes 1,204 Attendance: Movies 30 million per week Lynchings: 76 Divorce: 1/1000 Vacation: 12 day cruise $60 Whiskey $3.50 / gallon, Milk $.32 / gallon Speeds make automobile safety an issue.