Chevrolet was founded in Detroit, in November 1911, by racer Louis
Chevrolet and General Motors founder William C. "Billy" Durant, who
developed cars that quickly earned reputations for performance,
durability and value. Those traits remain at the core of Chevrolet,
which is the world's fourth-largest automotive brand.
From the very start, Chevrolet brought technology and features
typically reserved for more expensive cars to its lineup of affordable
cars and trucks. The first Chevrolet -the Series C Classic Six-
offered an electric starter and electric headlamps at a time when both
were rarities among even luxury cars. In the decades that followed,
innovations such as safety glass, fuel injection, anti-lock brakes and
electronic stability control systems were used on Chevrolet models at
the same time as more expensive vehicles. As one of the largest-selling
brands in the industry, Chevrolet's early adoption of landmark
technologies fundamentally changed the way they were applied to new
vehicles.Chevrolet also made performance affordable. Its
early four- and six-cylinder engines were known for durability and
strong performance, but it was the 1955 introduction of Chevrolet's
small-block V-8 that began a new era in attainable high-performance.
The engine would power millions of cars and trucks in next 50 years,
with its legacy passed on to a new generation of small-block V-8s used
in today's trucks and SUV's, as well as performance cars including the
Camaro SS and Corvette.
The performance characteristics of the small-block V-8 helped establish
Chevrolet as a force in almost all forms of motors-ports.
Chevrolet-powered race cars were immediate contenders in the fledging
stock car and drag racing worlds of the 1950s, growing to dominate them
in the next decades. Chevrolet is the winningest brand in NASCAR and
has collected more NHRA Pro Stock Manufacturers Cups than any other
brand.