Top 10 intriguing facts about Louis Chevrolet

Louis Chevrolet in Tacoma. Photo by Marvin Dement Boland. Wikimedia Commons.

Top 10 intriguing facts about Louis Chevrolet

Louis-Joseph Chevrolet was a famous Swiss-American race car driver. Louis was born on the 25th of December 1878 and was acclaimed for his major successes and serious accidents on the race track.

He was also an entrepreneur who co-founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company with William C. Durant in 1911.

Louis’s brother Arthur Chevrolet was also involved in the creation of the Motor Car Company with investment partners   James H. Whiting, Dr. Edwin R. Campbell, and in 1912 R. S. McLaughlin CEO of General Motors in Canada.

Louis relished working with automobiles. He was a mechanic and made a breakthrough when he invented the roll bar that was mandatory in all racecars.

In addition, he opened a garage in Detroit to design, build, and test four and six-cylinder automobile engines in 1909.

Here are 10 intriguing facts about Louis Chevrolet:

1. He was a Swiss-American race driver

Automobile racing is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition and has existed since 1867.

Louis began his career in automobiles when he moved from Switzerland to Beaune, France in 1887 with his father to settle in.

He started to develop his mechanical skills and interest in bicycle racing. Chevrolet then worked at Roblin mechanics shop in Beaune for 10 years as a mechanic.

He moved to Paris, then Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1900, and finally to New York City working as a mechanic.

He then began race car driving and won his first race in a FIAT in 1905. He enjoyed the thrill of competitive driving and continued to pursue this career afterward.

2. He co-founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company

Louis Chevrolet at Indy Centennial. Photo by Unknown author. Wikimedia Commons.

The Chevrolet Motor Car Company was founded in Detroit in 1911.

The motor that is informally known as the Chevy is an American automobile division of the American Manufacturer General Motors.

The General Motors founder William C. Durant co-founded the Chevrolet motor company with Louis Chevrolet and Arthur Chevrolet.

Durant was initially fired from General Motors in 1910 the company he had founded two years prior.

Louis Chevrolet was first hired to drive Buicks in promotional races. William Durant then planned to use Chevrolet’s reputation as a racer as the foundation for his new automobile company.

Durant then named the company after Louise to honor his friend and partner.

3. He was a friend and associate of William C. Durant

William Crapo Durant was an entrepreneur and specialist in automobiles. He was the leading pioneer of the United States automobile industry.

He founded General Motors and co-founded Chevrolet with Louis- Joseph and Arthur Chevrolet.

He is credited with the creation of a system in which a company held multiple marques each independent, with different automobile lines bound under a unified corporate holding company.

William knew Louis as a great race car driver and recruited him to drive Buicks for promotional purposes.

The two became partners and friends beginning a new company together. Sadly, a disagreement between them occurred over the car’s design and in 1915 Durant bought his share in the company.

4. He is credited as one of three co-designers of the Buick 60 Special

Louis Chevrolet in a Buick racer. Photo by Unknown author.Crop: Cornischong at lb.wikipedia. Wikimedia Commons.

The Buick 60 Special was an early American racing car built by Buick Motor Division of General Motors in 1910.

It was nicknamed the Buick Bug and is one of the first US-built cars with just a single seat for the driver centrally located.

Louis had learned car design while working for Buick since he had limited formal education.

He began designing his own engine for a new car and built an overhead valve six-cylinder engine in his own machine shop on Grand River Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan.

The Buick was designed jointly by Chief Engineer Enos Anson de Waters, Burman, and Louis Chevrolet.

5. There is controversy over the origin of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company logo

Controversies have risen over the true origin of the Chevrolet Motor Company Logo.

Theories have been formalized over to determine the creation of the logo. One is the Paris Theory which co-founder William C. Durant being a world traveler discovered.

It is believed that during a visit to Paris, he was struck by the mesmerizing design of the hotel wallpaper.

He went ahead and tore a piece of the wallpaper and brought it back to the States serving as inspiration for the Chevy bowtie logo.

The second theory is that the logo is a modified Swiss cross created to honor Louis Chevrolet’s homeland.

6. Louis and his brothers founded the Frontenac Motor Corporation to make racing parts

Louis had Two brothers who were also involved in the race car industry, Arthur and Gaston Chevrolet.

Together they founded the Frontenac Motor Corporation in December 1915 in Detroit.

It was a joint venture for Indianapolis car dealer William Small, Zenith Carburetor President Victor Heftler, and Indy 500 winner Joseph Boyer Jr.

The company focused on building high-performance automobiles that would be used in major AAA events, including the Indianapolis 500 and racing parts for Ford Model Ts.

7. Chevrolet launched an aircraft engine construction company in 1927

Louis Chevrolet Swiss-American racing car driver. Photo by Bain News Service. Wikimedia Commons.

Louis Chevrolet had a love for mechanics not only limited to automobiles.

Louis also dabbled in aircraft mechanics and in 1927 he launched the aircraft engine construction company Chevrolair.

The company created aircraft engines which are the power component of an aircraft propulsion system.

Sadly, Chevrolair failed three years later as a result of the Great Depression- the severe worldwide economic depression between 1929 and 1939.

Louis returned to Chevrolet motor company to work as a simple mechanic in the Detroit factories.

8. He died due to a heart attack

Louis Had been plagued with atherosclerosis for a while. It is a cardiovascular disease where there is a build-up of fats, cholesterol, and other substances in and on the artery walls.

It causes chest pain or angina or pain in your leg, arm, and anywhere else that has a blocked artery.

Chevrolet’s leg had to be amputated due to this condition. He later died due to a heart attack on the 6th of June 1941 at the age of 63, in Detroit.

He was then buried in the Holy Cross and Saint Joseph Cemetery in Indianapolis.

9. He became an American citizen in 1915

Chevrolet was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, canton of Neuchâtel. Switzerland.  La Chaux-de-Fonds is the center of watchmaking in northwestern Switzerland where his father worked.

Louis later moved to Beaune, France with his father in 1887 where he began his mechanical career.

Later on, he moved to Paris between 1899 and 1900 then emigrated to Montreal, Quebec before finally settling in New York City.

He worked and lived there for fifteen years and finally became a citizen in 1915.

10. A museum in Indiana features a memorial about him

The Chevrolet family Grave in Indiana. Photo by Missvain. Wikimedia Commons.

In Indiana, there is a museum in Speedway called The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum that features dedicated to Louis Chevrolet.

The memorial is quickly accessed at the entrance to the building dedicated to the accomplishments of Louis Chevrolet and designed by Fred Wellman and sculpted by Adolph Wolter.

The main attraction here is the centerpiece of the memorial. It is a bronze bust of Chevrolet wearing a racing cap and goggles resting on a marble and granite square base.