Detroit, USA · est. 1911
From the Series 490 to the Corvette
Curated entry points
Three cars that explain the manufacturer: its origins, its engineering peak and the shape of its modern ambition.
Complete catalogue
1 models · 1 families
Three hundred Polo White roadsters in 1953 grew into the split-window Sting Ray and the big-block shark: the first three Corvette generations are the backbone of American collecting.
The house
William C. Durant lost control of General Motors in 1910 and, in 1911, joined Swiss racing driver and engineer Louis Chevrolet in a new automobile venture. Chevrolet Motor Company of Michigan was incorporated on 3 November 1911; records also identify William Little, James Whiting and Arthur Chevrolet among those involved in its formation. Its early Classic Six entered production in 1912 as a six-cylinder touring car.
Chevrolet moved into Ford-priced territory with the Series 490. Shown at the New York Auto Show in January 1915 and placed on sale that June at $490, it was pitched directly against the $495 Model T. Its four-cylinder engine had an overhead-valve cylinder head and its conventional three-speed sliding-gear transmission contrasted with Ford's planetary gearbox. Durant regained control of GM by 1916; Chevrolet formally became a GM division in 1918.
Chevrolet first outsold Ford in 1927, the year Ford ended Model T production and retooled for the Model A. Harley Earl's Corvette debuted at the January 1953 Motorama, and production began in Flint that June; 300 were hand-assembled in 1953. For 1955, Chevrolet's 265-cu-in OHV V8 reached both passenger cars and the Corvette, whose four-barrel version was rated at 195 hp.
Regular C8 Corvette production began at Bowling Green on 3 February 2020, introducing a mid-engine layout to the production Corvette. In 2026, TF Sport's No. 33 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R won LMGT3 at Le Mans, recorded as Corvette Racing's tenth class victory there and its first in LMGT3. Chevrolet remains one of General Motors' four current vehicle brands.
Selected milestones
1911
The company is incorporated
Chevrolet Motor Company of Michigan is incorporated on 3 November. Durant and Louis Chevrolet are central figures, alongside other participants named in contemporary historical accounts.
1915
Series 490 goes on sale
The 490 reaches market in June at $490, after its January New York show appearance; it uses an overhead-valve four and a three-speed sliding-gear transmission.
1916–18
Durant regains GM; Chevrolet becomes a division
Durant is back in control of GM by 1916. Chevrolet formally becomes a GM division in 1918.
1927
Chevrolet first outsells Ford
Ford ends Model T production in May and closes plants to retool for the Model A; Chevrolet outsells Ford for the first time that year.
1953
Corvette enters production
The Corvette debuts at January's Motorama. Production begins in Flint in June, and 300 hand-built cars are completed that year.
2020
C8 production begins
Regular production of the eighth-generation Corvette begins at Bowling Green on 3 February with a mid-engine layout.
What defines Chevrolet
The Series 490 launched at $490 against the Model T's $495, with an overhead-valve four and a conventional three-speed sliding-gear transmission. Later 490s added electric starting and other equipment that Ford generally treated as extra-cost items.
For 1955, Chevrolet installed its 265-cu-in OHV V8 in passenger cars and the Corvette. The Corvette used the four-barrel Power Pack version, rated at 195 hp.
C8 regular production began in 2020, and Chevrolet's current range still lists Corvette models. Corvette Racing's programme recorded its tenth Le Mans class win in 2026.
