| Louis-Joseph Chevrolet was born on December 25, | | | | and produced another line of racing cars. Their most |
| 1878, Canton of Jura, Switzerland. He soon grew up | | | | famous product was the Fronty-Ford racers. |
| to become a racing driver and a co-founder of the | | | | Louis Chevrolet died on June 6, 1941 Detroit, Michigan. |
| one of the greatest of the classic American cars, | | | | He almost died penniless and his remains are buried in |
| Chevrolet Motor Car Company. | | | | the Holy Cross and Saint Joseph Cemetery in |
| As a young man, he developed his mechanical skills | | | | Indianapolis, Indiana. His beautiful bust greets us at |
| and interest in car racing in Beaune, France. Here, he | | | | the entrance to the museum of the Indiana Motor |
| worked for the Roblin mechanics shop from 1895 to | | | | Speedway. |
| 1899. He soon migrated to Montreal, Quebec in | | | | And while the main man of Chevrolet, Louis-Joseph, is |
| Canada in 1900 and then moved on to New York | | | | but a memory to our modern times, his creations |
| City where he was hired by FIAT. | | | | aren't. There are many ways to experience the |
| He was a mechanical genius who had little formal | | | | mechanical genius of Chevrolet. Some of his |
| education. In 1909, he learned car design and started | | | | company's car models can be taken on the road by |
| designing his own engine for a new car. The engine | | | | renting one at any of the city's classic car rental |
| was an overhead valve six that he built in his own | | | | dealers. You can get behind the wheel of a red 1954 |
| machine shop at Grand River Boulevard, Detroit. | | | | Chevrolet Corvette that has been re-engineered with |
| Shortly after, he partnered with William Durant to | | | | a 350 V8 engine with auto transmission. |
| start his company. In 1915 due to differences on | | | | While the great American classics came way back, it |
| design Chevrolet sold his share in the company to | | | | is still good to know that there are places that allow |
| Durant. The next year, the company folded and | | | | us a peek into that era of automobiles. In this city |
| became Durant's General Motors. | | | | alone, many dealers have been offering classic rentals |
| At this time, Chevrolet shifted his interest to the | | | | to exotic car rentals that accommodate everyone's |
| sports car industry where he created a state of the | | | | needs and dreams. So yes, the roaring 20s and the |
| art race car. It was called the Cornelian and it finished | | | | booming 50s may have come and gone, but some |
| 20th in the 1915 Indy 500. In 1916, Louis partnered | | | | legends like the great classic car Chevrolet, remains |
| with his younger brother Gaston and started the | | | | to stay. |
| Frontenac Motor Corporation where they designed | | | | |