Let’s look into 3 small quizzes to see if you are a real car fan and know its history!
1: Which brand is the first to have a radio in the car that finally allows drivers to say goodbye to some boring driving time?
2: Which brand is the first to use independent suspension on the chassis, and leveled up the comfortableness of the car riding?
3: Which brand was the first to be equipped with an automatic transmission on its car models, which made driving easier and simpler?
The answer to those 3 questions is the same brand – Chevrolet!
Hearing this name, do you have the Bumblebee from Transformers appear in your head? Or what do you have in your head is the Suburban, who protects SWAT in American police films? Or do you think of your first car if it happens to be a Chevrolet.
This year, on the 3rd of November, this legendary brand just turned 110 years old!
Probably only few people know that "Chevrolet" is actually the name of a Swiss racing driver.
In 1910, William Durant, who had just left General Motors, invited the retired racing god Louis Chevrolet to help him design a car for the public crowds.
So the racing driver and engineer, Louis Chevrolet, with his brother Arthur Chevrolet andGaston Chevrolet, worked hard for more than a year, finally brought the first Chevrolet car to this world, Classic Six.
Six means that it is equipped with a six-cylinder engine with a displacement of 4.9L. In the second year after its launch, it received an order of 2,999 units . This is still a very successful number nowadays for new car manufacturers.
In 1916, William Durant had already made a lot of money by selling Chevrolet cars, and his profits could already support Durant to purchase and hold a large share of General Motors. In 1916, Durant returned to General Motors and became chairman of General Motors, therefore Chevrolet was merged into General Motors and became an independent car brand.
Since then, many new technologies were first to be used on Chevrolet models, and consumers have also used actions to support this brand that can constantly bring them fresh fun in driving.110 years developing, Chevrolet is not only the largest selling brand under General Motors, but also a legend that can be written into the history of the automotive industry.
During this 110 years, we will find two core spirits of Chevrolet.
First, is the “Sport Spirit”.
This is not only because Chevrolet is a brand founded by a racing driver, sport genes are rooted in its blood, whether in model building or technology innovation, Chevrolet has put the sport spirit into reality.
When it comes to sports and high performance cars, we can’t forget about the Chevrolet Corvette. This is GM's most high-end super muscle sports car and a national treasure in the United States designed by General Motors designer Harry Earle in 1953. Inspired by the great European sports cars at the time, he wanted to create a car that could out run all competing American sports cars on the road. So, in Corvette’s Logo, the designer added a black and white checkerboard racing flag.
The name "Corvette" is borrowed from a kind of small fast naval ships used in World War II, which also represents speed and victory.
The New York Auto Show in 1953 was definitely a highlight of Chevrolet.
The first-generation Corvette, C1, was officially released on June 30 of the same year. It was initially equipped with a 3.8-liter inline six-cylinder engine. A 4.3-liter V8 was available from 1955. In order to be extremely lightweight, the body of the C1 is made of a lighter glass fiber, and its ultimate goal is to make it run fast.
Since the first generation of C1, Corvette has been a representative of American large muscle cars for nearly 70 years, same as the current mid-mounted rear-drive supercar C8. Now, when people think of who can truly represent the American sports car, the Corvette will always pop up in their head, who still sticks to the V8 engine. It is a kind of worship for classics, and the desire for extreme speed. Since 1999, the Corvette team has won a total of 107 world-class victories in events around the world, including 8 Le Mans 24-hour endurance championships, 13 IMSA series championships, and 12 manufacturer and driver championships. Etc. It is the professional manufacturer team with the most awards in North America.
As for the series that contributed the most to the Chevrolet brand's sportiness, it is undoubtedly the legendary Camaro, which also shines in “Transformers”.
I still remember that scene, when Sam Witwicky and his girlfriend complained about the crappy second-hand Chevrolet and it suddenly transformed into the newest Camaro! The muscular lines of its American sports style, the strong power given by the V8 engine, and cool transformation into Bumblebee, makes Camaro instantly become the dream of many young people from that era.
Except the sport spirit, there is also the explore spirit within Chevrolet!
In 1935, Chevrolet produced the world’s first real SUV – Carryall Suburban, and up to today, the Suburban, which has a history of nearly 80 years, is still a huge full-size SUV and continues to be equipped with a powerful V8 engine.
110 years, Chevrolet has its time and it’s period of confusion, but what is indelible in its genes is the innovative spirit that drives the brand to move forward bravely.
But a true legend will never disappear in history, and has its way to keep oneself young and energetic. Nowadays, the era of fuel vehicles is about to come to an end. Under the wave of full electrification, GM's Ultium pure electric platform built with all the latest technologies and a new generation of VIP intelligent electronic architecture will lead this brand into the next new round, let’s look forward to it!
