Chevrolet car history, car data, information, pictures, VIN ID

Chevrolet - the early years
Chevrolet has grown to becomeGeneral Motors flagship company.  The automobile manufacturer was started in 1911, after William Durant was removed from the General Motors board.  Durant wanted to regain GM, so he teamed up with Louis Chevrolet, a successful Swiss race car driver, to create a new auto manufacturer, named Chevrolet.  The Classic Six model was released in 1912, and was a farly successful model, competing with the Ford Model T. The Classic Six held 5 passengers, and had a top speed of 65 mph from it's 4.9 L 6 cylinder engine.

Chevrolet was so successful that Durant was able to buy a majority of shares back to have control of GM in 1916, and by 1917 Durant was once again president of GM, taking over the presiding president Charles W. Nash.  Durant merged Chevrolet with GM the next year.  Chevrolet's wild success came from the sale of the "490", a worthy competitor to the Ford Model T.  The name 490 was from the price of the model, $490.  By 1917, 100,000 490's were sold, helping Chevrolet finance the buyout of GM.  The first Chevy truck was produced in 1918.

1920 -1929
Throughout the 1920's, Chevrolet lagged behind Ford and Dodge in sales, putting them third in line.  Chevrolet released the Superior in 1925, and for the first time pushed Chevrolet to the top of sales in 1927, producing over 1 million cars.  This was the only year in this decade that Chevrolet could claim this top sales title.

1930-1939
Chevrolet claimed the top sales title again from 1931 through 1934 with the help of new style changes and equipment, including V shaped grills, hydraulic brakes, larger engines, and convertibles.  Chevrolet would not claim this title again for 55 years.

1940 - 1949
Chevrolet built a record 1.6 million vehicles in 1941, before civilian production of automobiles ended on January 30th, 1942.  Chevrolet was awarded  contracts from the U.S government to build 75-mm high-explosive shells, parts for a 90-mm anti-aircraft gun, and the Pratt and Whitney aircaraft engine used in long range bombers.  No new automobile models would be built until 1946, and these models were basically the same as the prewar models.  Styles wouldn't start to change dramatically until 1959, ushering the great post war Chevrolet models and designs we still admire today.

1950 - 1959
Noteworthy classic Chevrolet cars:
Corvette (1953 - current)
Bel Air (1953 - 1975)
Biscayne (1958 - 1971)
El Camino (1959-1960, 1964-1987)

The 50's brought some great success for Chevrolet.  The first automatic transmission (Powerglide) for the low priced field of cars is introduced.  Before this, they were only offered on luxury models such as the Cadillac line.  The first full production American sports car is still in production today, well over 50 years later, and has become an American and Chevrolet icon.The 1953 Corvette was the first series production car built with a fiberglass body.

A legend was created in 1955, the Chevy small block V8 engine.  This would go on to become one of Chevrolet's most popular engines, and overnight became the engine choice for hot rodders, over the flat head Ford engines that were the favorites before.  The basic 1955 small block had a two barrel carburetor for 162 hp, the mid sized had a 4 barrel carb and dual exhaust for 180 hp, and the top of the line model had a 4 barrel carburetor, dual exhaust, high lift solid lifeter cams, and high compression heads.  Most Corvettes were fitted with this top of the line engine named the "Power Pack".  The Chevy small block engine would go on and power most of Chevrolet's muscle car and pony cars in the late 1960's and early 1970's.

One of today's biggest collector cars was released in 1957 - the Chevrolet Bel Air.  It feautred new and rather large tail fins, and  a new Ramjet fuel-injected V8 engine.  The Impala was released in 1958, and was another success.  The Impala was created to be a low budget alternative to the larger Cadillac's, and it succeeded.  The El Camino was released in 1959 to compete with the Ford Ranchero, but was abandoned after the 1960 model year.  It was resurrected in 1964, and was rather successful with it's new incarnation.


1960 - 1969
Noteworthy classic Chevrolet cars:
Camaro
Impala
Caprice
Chevelle
Chevy II / Nova
Corvair

The Corvair was released in 1960, as the first American production car with all around independent suspension.  It was very efficient, with an air cooled aluminum engine in the rear instead of the front. Chevrolet introduced the Chevy II Nova in 1962, and the Corvette got a makeover with the new Corvette Sting Ray, with independent suspension, and motorized headlamps that hid in the rounded hood.  Chevrolet was the first auto manufacturer to sell 3 million vehicles in a year in 1964, and the newly released Camaro in 1966 for the 1967 model year fueled high sales.

1970 - 1979
Noteworthy classic Chevrolet cars:
Monte Carlo

The 10 millionth Impala was sold in 1972, making it one of the best selling American cars of all time.  The Monte Carlo was released in 1973 and was an instant hit, winning Motor Trend's car of the year award in it's first year. The Chevrolet Caprice grabbed Motor Trend'c Car of the Year honors in 1977, and the 100 millionth Chevrolet is built in 1979, a 1979 Monza.