Early Chevrolet: Founders, Period Photographs and Surviving Cars

A 1913 Series C Classic Six photographed in Flint in 2011 preserves the proportions of Chevrolet’s expensive early car. This is a museum view of a surviving vehicle, not a photograph taken in 1913. The substantial body and long hood belong to the phase before Durant concentrated on lower-priced transportation.

Michael Barera photographed this 1915 Royal Mail roadster at the Henry Ford Museum in August 2012. The museum’s artifact record identifies a four-cylinder engine and a $750 selling price. Its compact two-seat layout offers a useful comparison with the larger Classic Six, while the later photograph records the car as preserved.

The New York Public Library catalogs this print as a 1916 Chevrolet. A person stands beside the open car, whose body carries lettering. The archive’s digital posting dates from 2009; that is not the date of the original scene. The photograph supplies a period view of the automobile in use, beyond modern museum displays.

A 1916 Chevrolet Model 490 runabout appears at a General Motors display day in Penrith, Australia, in 2012. The model family’s name came from the American touring car’s advertised starting price of $490. This particular surviving runabout is shown as photographed; its appearance should not be treated as proof of every detail of the original U.S. specification.