Louis Chevrolet Memorial, Indianapolis Speedway

Louis Chevrolet in a Buick racer in Crown Point, Indiana, during the Cobe Cup Race in 1909

Louis-Joseph Chevrolet (December 25, 1878, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Neuchatel, Switzerland - June 6, 1941, Detroit, Michigan) was a racing driver and a co-founder (with William C. Durant) of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company, which was acquired by General Motors and is their bestselling brand nationwide and in many cases synonymous with General Motors itself. Buick (ˈbjuːɪk is a Marque of automobile sold in the United States, Canada, China, Taiwan, Qatar, and Crown Point is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian Year 1878 ( MDCCCLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common La Chaux-de-Fonds is the capital city of the district of La Chaux-de-Fonds in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. Neuchâtel (Canton de Neuchâtel Kanton Neuenburg is a canton of western Switzerland. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Auto racing (also known as automobile racing, motor racing or car racing) is a Motorsport involving Racing Cars It William Crapo "Billy" Durant ( December 8, 1861 – March 18, 1947) was a leading pioneer of the United States Automobile Chevrolet (ˌʃɛvroʊˈleɪ - French origin (also known as Chevy) is a Brand of Automobile, produced by General Motors (GM General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States.

In 1886 his family left Switzerland to live in Beaune in the Côte-d'Or département of France. Year 1886 ( MDCCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Beaune is a commune in eastern France, a Sub-prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department in the Bourgogne region Côte-d'Or is a department in the eastern part of France. History Côte-d'Or is one of the original 83 departments created during the French In the Terminology of Political geography and Historiography a National department (département departamento is an administrative This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. It was there as a young man Louis developed his mechanical skills and interest in auto racing. He worked for the Roblin mechanics shop from 1895 to 1899 at which time he went to Paris where he worked for a short time before migrating to Montreal, Quebec in Canada in 1900. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Montreal, or Montréal in French ( pronounced in French, in English) is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar The following year, he moved to New York City where he was hired by FIAT. The City of New York Fiat SpA (an Acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (Italian Automobile Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer

Working for Buick, this mechanical genius with little in the way of a formal education learned car design and started designing his own engine for a new car in 1909. Buick (ˈbjuːɪk is a Marque of automobile sold in the United States, Canada, China, Taiwan, Qatar, and This, an overhead valve six, he built in his own machine shop on Grand River Boulevard, Detroit. An overhead valve (OHV engine, also called pushrod engine or I-head engine is a type of Piston engine that places the Camshaft Conventional Machining, one of the most important material removal methods is a collection of material-working processes in which power-driven Machine tools, such as lathes ^[1] Shortly thereafter, he would partner with Durant to start the Chevrolet Motor Car Company there. Chevrolet had differences with Durant over the design and in 1915 sold Durant his share in the company. The next year, the company was folded into Durant's General Motors. General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States.

At that time, Chevrolet shifted into the racing car industry, partnering with Howard E. Blood of Allegan, Michigan to create the Cornelian, a state of the art racing car which he used to place 20th in the 1915 Indy 500. Allegan is a city in the US state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 4838 In 1914 the Cornelian, the smallest chain-drive automobile to ever hit the racing circuit was manufactured in a short-run by Howard The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, often shortened to Indianapolis 500 or Indy 500, and historically known simply as "The 500" is an American In 1916, he and his younger brother Gaston started Frontenac Motor Corporation, designing and producing another line of racing cars. Gaston Chevrolet ( October 26, 1892 &ndash November 25, 1920) was a French -born American racecar champion driver and automobile Frontenac Motor Corporation was the joint venture of Louis and Gaston Chevrolet. They became well-known for, among other things, their Fronty-Ford racers. Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following

Louis also competed in the Indianapolis 500 four times, with a best finish of 7th in 1919. The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, often shortened to Indianapolis 500 or Indy 500, and historically known simply as "The 500" is an American Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Younger brother Gaston won there in 1920 in a car Louis built, and brother Arthur also competed twice. Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar Arthur Emil Chevrolet, ( April 25, 1884 &ndash April 16, 1946) was an Swiss American racecar driver and automobile manufacturer

Louis Chevrolet died nearly penniless, and is buried in the Holy Cross and Saint Joseph Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana. His bust stands at the entrance to the museum at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Indy 500 results

Awards

• In 1992, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to Auto racing either as a driver owner
• He was named to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1990. The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum is a Hall of Fame and museum for sprint car drivers
• He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1995. The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum in Novi Michigan for American motorsports legends

Notes

Sources

• Clymer, Floyd. Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925. New York: Bonanza Books, 1950.

External links

• Chevrolet History and Photos
• Louis Chevrolet (VanderbiltCupRaces. com)