Chevrolet Series C Classic Six | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Chevrolet |
Production | 1911–1914 |
Model years | 1911–1913 |
Assembly | Flint Assembly, Flint, Michigan |
Designer | Etienne Planche |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Full-size |
Body style | 4-door touring |
Layout | FR layout |
Related | The Little Automobile |
Powertrain | |
Engine | 299 cu in (4,900 cc), 40 hp (30 kW), T-head I6 |
Transmission | Rear-mounted 3-speed, with a cone clutch |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | 120.0 in (3,048 mm) |
Curb weight | 3,500–3,750 lb (1,588–1,701 kg) |
Chronology | |
Successor | Chevrolet Series L Chevrolet Series H |
The Chevrolet Series C Classic Six is the first automobile produced by American car manufacturer Chevrolet, from 1911 to 1914. It is one of the few Chevrolets made while record-setting Buick race car driver Louis Chevrolet was with the company. This Brass Era Chevy was much larger, more powerful, more stylized and therefore more expensive than the cars that would ultimately replace it. Louis Chevrolet loved it, but William Durant had a cheaper car in mind.
The 1912–14 Chevrolet Type C, also called the Chevrolet Classic Six (Series C), Chevrolet Model C, Classic Six, or, at the time it was new, simply "the Chevrolet" (since there were no other models to confuse it with until 1914 when the models H and L were released), was the first Chevrolet, and was also sold by other makes. It was a well constructed car and had a six-cylinder engine up front with a cone clutch and a three-speed gearbox mounted at the rear axle. Henry Ford had been selling his much less expensive Model T for three years, in six models by the time Chevrolet entered the market. The Chevrolets that followed, under the management of Durant, would be much cheaper four-cylinder cars that competed directly with the T. The Series C Classic Six, however, was capable of 65 mph and competed against the more high-performance cars of that time. Standard equipment included a starter, four doors, a folding top, a tool box, cowl lights, and electric headlights. The 1914 Classic Six was in essence the 1913 model with a few slight changes.
Penned by Etienne Planche under direction from Louis Chevrolet, [1] the Chevy with its low running boards had a design more resembling European cars. [2] The radiator shell and Chevrolet nameplate on the dashboard (the "bow-tie" emblem did not appear until the 1914 Chevrolet Series H and L models) were polished metal, while the body, chassis, and wheels were only Chevrolet blue. The hood, fenders, and splash aprons were black. Light gray striping was found on the body and wheels. The first prototype car appeared in late 1911, and Louis Chevrolet himself tested it on the back streets of Detroit. Throughout 1912, refinements were made to the design. Later in that same year, the new 1913 model was released at the New York Auto Show.
Chevrolet's first engine was a liquid-cooled 299-cubic-inch, six-cylinder, cast-iron block cast in three groups of two, with a T-head configuration, that produced 40 horsepower. The T-head engine is a side valve engine that is distinguished from the much more common L-head engine by its placement of the valves. The intake valves are on one side of the engine block and the exhaust valves on the other, making dual camshafts necessary. Seen from the end of the crankshaft, in cutaway view, the cylinder and combustion chamber resembles a T; hence the name "T-head." The 299 was a very large engine at that time and the only engine in the C Series. In 1913, the ignition was a Simms magneto with a compressed-air starter. For 1914 the ignition was now a Simms High Tension Magneto and the starter used was a Gray & Davis. This was the biggest Chevy engine until the 1958, 348 cid V-8.
Year | Production | Base Price | Weight | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1911 | 1 | N/A | 3,500 lbs. | prototype, no windshield or top |
1912 | (See text below) | $2,250 | 3,000 lbs. | |
1913 | (See text below) | $2,250 | 3,500 lbs. | |
1914 | (See text below) | $2,500 | 3,750 lbs. | |
The prototype of Planche's design was built in 1911. After several improvements were made to the car, they began production for commercial sales in late 1912. Production continued through 1913 and was stopped in 1914. [1] The base price was US$2,250 (equivalent to $73,575in 2023).
Due to conflicting production records, it is unclear how many were actually made. Total Chevrolet production for 1913 was 5,987. But this figure included all Little Motor Car Co. production (the Little Motor car was made in the same factory) and could also have included all the 1914 models produced in 1913. It is doubtful given the high price of the car that many were made and sold. The serial number of the below listed existing cars at the Sloan Museum and the Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Canada may or may not be indicative of the exact number built.
There are only two Classic Sixes known to exist. The oldest example is a 1913 model, serial #93 located in the Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Canada and is an unrestored partial car. The other is also a 1913 model, serial #323 located in Flint, Michigan at the Alfred P. Sloan Museum (shown above). This car is the only complete and fully restored running example.
The Sloan Museum car was first purchased in southern Texas. The Classic 6 was driven daily until 1936, when it was bought by the Aldenhaven Family in Ft. Worth (who owned a Chevy dealership). It remained part of their collection until 1964, when it was placed up for auction. The Sloan Museum had been following the car for some time, and sent two employees to Texas with a signed check. The Chevy was twice bid up beyond the Museum's offer, but the Aldenhavens accepted the Museum's offer any way, as they knew the car would be appreciated and well kept. [3]
In Cambodia, there is a Chevrolet Classic Six–like car known as the Masthead Car. This car operated for tourists in Angkor temples in Siem Reap. [4]
William Durant assembled these three companies to form Chevrolet:
Louis Chevrolet left Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1915, and by 1916, had started a race car company with his brother Gaston Chevrolet.
Chevrolet, colloquially referred to as Chevy, is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM).
Buick is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobile brands and was the company that established General Motors in 1908. Before the establishment of General Motors, GM founder William C. Durant had served as Buick's general manager and major investor. With the demise of Oldsmobile in 2004, Buick became the oldest surviving American carmaker.
The inline-six engine is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine balance, resulting in fewer vibrations than other designs of six or fewer cylinders.
GMC is a division of American automotive manufacturer General Motors (GM) for trucks and utility vehicles. GMC currently makes SUVs, pickup trucks, vans, and light-duty trucks. In the past, GMC also produced fire trucks, ambulances, heavy-duty trucks, military vehicles, motorhomes, transit buses, and medium duty trucks.
Louis-Joseph Chevrolet was an American racing driver, mechanic and entrepreneur who co-founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1911.
A replacement automobile engine is an engine or a major part of one that is sold individually without any other parts required to make a functional car. These engines are produced either as aftermarket parts or as reproductions of an engine that has gone out of production.
The Dort Motor Car Company of Flint, Michigan, built automobiles from 1915 to 1924.
The Oakland Motor Car Company of Pontiac, Michigan, was an American automobile manufacturer and division of General Motors. Purchased by General Motors in 1909, the company continued to produce modestly priced automobiles until 1931 when the brand was dropped in favor of the division's Pontiac make.
In the late 1920s, American automotive company General Motors (GM) launched four companion makes to supplement its existing lineup of five-passenger car brands, or makes. The companion makes were LaSalle, introduced for the 1927 model year to supplement Cadillac; Marquette, introduced in 1929 for 1930 to supplement Buick; Pontiac, introduced for 1926 to supplement Oakland; and Viking, introduced for 1929 to supplement Oldsmobile. GM's fifth existing brand, Chevrolet, did not receive a companion make. With the exception of Viking, each of the companion makes were slotted below their "parent make" in GM's pricing hierarchy.
Mercer was an American automobile manufacturer from 1909 until 1925. It was notable for its high-performance cars, especially the Type 35 Raceabout.
The Speedwell Motor Car Company was a Brass Era American automobile manufacturing company established by Pierce Davies Schenck that produced cars from 1907 to 1914. The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 greatly damaged the Speedwell factory and inventory, and the company entered receivership in 1915 after having built an estimated 4,000 cars and trucks.
Marquette was an American automobile manufacturer established by General Motors in 1909 after the purchase of the Rainier Motor Car Company. The Marquette Company did not last long and in 1912 GM announced the company would be closed.
Little Motor Car Company was an automobile manufacturing company founded primarily by William H. Little and William C. Durant that operated from 1911 to 1913. Built in Flint, Michigan, the company was eventually incorporated into the current Chevrolet Motor Company.
Scripps-Booth was a United States automobile marque based in Detroit, Michigan. Established by James Scripps Booth in 1913, Scripps-Booth Company produced motor vehicles and was later acquired by General Motors, becoming a division of it, until the brand was discontinued in 1923.
The Chevrolet 400 was a compact car made by General Motors de Argentina from 1962 to 1974. The "400" was General Motors's reply to Ford and Chrysler after those companies introduced the first compact cars to Argentina, the Ford Falcon and Valiant II respectively.
Checker Taxi was a dominant taxicab company and national franchisor that was based in Chicago, Illinois. Checker Motors was an American vehicle manufacturer based in Kalamazoo, Michigan that built the iconic Checker Taxicab, sold commercially as the Checker Marathon until 1982. Both companies were owned by Morris Markin by the 1930s.
The Chevrolet Series L Light Six was an American car produced by Chevrolet in 1914 and 1915. The Chevrolet 'Bow Tie' emblem debuted in 1914 and has been used on all Chevrolet cars and trucks since. When the Classic Six ceased production at the end of the 1914 model year the Light Six replaced it in 1915 as Chevrolet's top-of-the-line offering.
Flint Wagon Works of Flint, Michigan, manufactured wagons from the early 1880s. One of the world's most successful horse-drawn vehicle makers they formed with their Flint neighbours a core of the American automobile industry. In 1905 Flint was promoting itself as Flint the Vehicle City. The former site is now located in the neighborhood of Flint known as "Carriagetown".
The Model 42 was an entry-level four seat passenger car produced by GM's Oldsmobile Division in 1914. It was offered as a replacement to the Oldsmobile Curved Dash runabout when it was discontinued in 1908, and was the junior platform to the Oldsmobile Six introduced in 1913. GM had acquired Elmore Manufacturing Company, Oldsmobile and Oakland Motor Car Company in 1908 and Cartercar and Rainier Motor Car Company in 1909 as their entry-level models, and Oldsmobile products were being repositioned in their new hierarchy as GM began to consolidate operations after William Durant had left.