Early Chevy Cars

1912 CHEVROLET SIX TYPE 'C' CLASSIC was one of the magnificent chariots of motoring's early days. This first Chevy came out in 1911, cost $2500, and boasted a tailored top, ventilating windshield, speedometer, indirect instrument lighting, electric self-starter, spare tire rim, and 20-gallon gas tank. It had one feature considered new today - a glove box with snap lid between the two front seats. Its T-head engine with fully balanced crankshaft delivered maximum (but undisclosed) horsepower at 1900 r.p.m. and set a standard of smooth performance in its day. Only a few thousand were made between 1911 and 1914. The lone survivor is on display in the Alfred P. Sloan Museum, Flint, Michigan.

1915 CHEVROLET BABY GRAND touring car won the hearts of thousands of pioneer motorists in the World War I era. The 'H' series, which eventually included four models, was introduced in 191 and continued until 1916, with the Baby Grand selling for $750. In 1917 the series was replaced by the slightly larger 'F' line. Early models had 170.9-cubic-inch, four-cylinder overhead valve engines that developed (by modern standards) 24 h.p. - the first o.h.v. engines to be used in automobiles. Modified versions of this engine were used right up to 1929. The model illustrated, as it appears in the Alfred P. Sloan Museum, Flint, Michigan, is shod with the optional Firestone Non-Skid tires (the words "non skid" form the tread pattern).

1928 CHEVROLET NATIONAL SERIES AB COACH fulfilled the Chevrolet slogan of its day, "Bigger and Better," by having a 107-inch wheelbase (four inches greater than previous models) and by having brakes on all four wheels. The tried and true four-cylinder engine sported a newly designed two-exhaust-port head, aluminum pistons, improved carburetion, and a thermostat in its cooling system. At the price of $585 this roomy passenger car with its Body by Fisher rapidly became America's best seller. It was an AB Coach model that rolled off the assembly line in 1928 proudly bearking the legend "5,000,000th Chevrolet." The model used for this illustration is in the collection of the Alfred P. Sloan Museum, Flint, Michigan.

1932 CHEVROLET SERIES BA SPORT ROADSTER was powered by the famous Chevy Six engine first introduced in 1929. However, larger valves and a higher compression ratio boosted engine performance to 60 h.p. at 3000 r.p.m. The roadster could be ordered with either a fender well or rear-mounted spare tire, and the cooling doors in the hood were chromed on deluxe models (as shown here). Revolutionary featured included synchromesh transmission and rubber engine mounts. To motoring buffs of the period, this was one of the best looking cars on the road. To vintage auto collectors, it still is. The model used for this illustration is a fully restored car in the collection of Mr. Pinky Randall of Houghton Lake, Michigan.