History

The Chevrolet story begins in the 19th century with the extraordinary man who gave the company his name. Louis Chevrolet was born on Christmas Day 1878, the son of a clockmaker from La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland. When he was 8, an economic slump drove Louis's family to move to Beaune in eastern France. The family remained poor, and at the age of 11 Louis left school to work in the Roblin bicycle workshop. Perhaps influenced by his father's principles of precision engineering, young Louis proved to have a flair for repairing bicycles.

Legend has it that when Louis was 18, a touring American visited the workshop, needing repairs on his motorised three-wheeler. The visitor was so impressed by Louis's mechanical skills that he gave the young Chevrolet a handsome tip and encouraged him to seek his fortune in America. The story suggests that this visitor was Willie K Vanderbilt, the multi-millionaire railroad magnate who became the first and foremost patron of American motor racing.

For the next few years, Louis developed his skills of designing and building bicycles, as well as his proficiency in the saddle, winning a number of major cycle races - the prize money going to help feed and clothe his six brothers and sisters. He also progressed from cycle repairs to become a car mechanic in Paris.

In 1900, Louis did indeed seek his fortune across the Atlantic, emigrating to Canada to work as a chauffeur and mechanic. The next year, Louis moved to New York to work as a mechanic and designer for de Dion-Bouton - at that time the world's largest car manufacturing company.

Louis combined excellence in car and engine design with growing skill as a racing driver. In 1905 he won his first major motor race, setting a new land speed record by covering a mile in 52.8 seconds. In the same year he married his sweetheart and began a 15-year winning streak on American racetracks that would turn him into an internationally famous figure - the Michael Schumacher of his day.

By 1907, Louis was racing for Buick, where he met motoring entrepreneur Billy Durant. Buick had just become part of Durant's General Company of New Jersey - later to become General Motors. Durant recognised the potential of applying Louis's famous name to a new marque of automobiles. In 1911 the two men joined forces to create the Chevrolet Motor Car Company and launch their first car, the Classic Six.

Durant's vision of the future was shown to be correct as the new Chevrolet company went from strength to strength. The Chevrolet brand quickly became synonymous with quality, value, reliability and affordability - a fact underlined by Chevrolet's toppling of Ford's Model T from its No 1 sales position, and its domination of the US car sales charts for 40 years straight, from 1936 to 1976.

Today, one out of every sixteen cars on the world's roads is a Chevrolet. The company is building on its reputation for quality and value with a range of cars specifically tailored for the demands of UK drivers, with new launches for 2007 including the exciting Captiva SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle). Explore the Chevrolet range for yourself - and discover how all our cars embody Louis Chevrolet's unique spirit and passion for motoring.