1915 Chevrolet Model 490

Chevrolet was founded by William 'Billy' Durant, who engaged Louis Chevrolet, a top member of Durant's successful racing team while he headed Buick, to help with the venture. Durant hoped to capitalize on Chevrolet's successful racing reputation, European heritage, notoriety through the car-manufacturing community, and his engineering talents. Durant's goal for the newly formed company was to build light cars 'of French type' at an affordable price.

The Chevrolet marque was launched in late 1911 with the Louis Chevrolet-designed Type C Classic Six that was well-engineered and well-equipped for the era. Chevrolet models progressed through the Series L Light Six and the four-cylinder Series H in 1914 – the first Chevrolet to sell for less than $1,000.

Unfortunately, Louis Chevrolet and William Durant couldn't agree on which direction to take the company, and by 1915, Louis had left the company. Durant quickly seized the opportunity to go head-to-head with the iconic Ford Model T with the soon-to-be-introduced Series 490.

The 1915 Chevrolet lineup included the Series H and Series L, and the all-new Series 490 was introduced in late 1915 for the 1916 model year. Chevrolet offered affordability, reasonable power, and a comfortable 106- and 112-inch wheelbase platform with body styles that included roadster and touring bodies. The Series L 'Light Six' was equipped with an L-head, six-cylinder engine with a 271 cubic-inch displacement, three main bearings, solid valve lifters, a Zenith double-jet carburetor, and delivered 30 horsepower. It was offered solely as a four-door, five-passenger tourer priced at $1,475.

The Series H was the four-cylinder model offered as a 'Royal Mail' roadster priced at $750, a 'Baby Grand' tourer priced at $850, and the 'Amesbury Special' Roadster listed at $985. The four-cylinder engine displaced 171 cubic inches, had overhead valves, three main bearings, solid valve lifters, and developed 24 horsepower.

The four-cylinder engine powering the Series H would be shared with the forthcoming Series 490. The 'Series 490' was named for its $490 price for the roadster and touring body styles. This low-priced model was intended to compete with the Ford Model T and came with a top, top hood, and windshield. It rode on wood spoke artillery wheels and braking was handled by external contracting rear wheel brakes. The engine was backed by a three-speed selective sliding transmission with a cone-type clutch and floor-mounted gear shift controls.

Comparatively, the 1915 Ford Model T employed a 176.7 cubic-inch four-cylinder, L-head engine with 20 horsepower at 1,600 RPM and backed by a two-speed planetary transmission with a multiple disc clutch. Stopping power was provided by a contracting band in the transmission and hand-operated internal expanding brakes on the rear wheels. A foot brake stopped the driveshaft, and a parking brake was used to control the braking on the rear wheels. Prices in 1915 ranged from $410 to $975 and from $360 to $740 the following year.

Chevrolet's early success is often attributed to its durable and rugged four-cylinder engine and the 'value-priced' Series 490 models. Compared to the Model T, it offered additional power, more standard equipment, and electric starting and lighting that added to its ease of operation. The popularity and profitability of the 490 allowed Durant to buy shares of GM stock (a company he had formed but was removed by the boards of directors in 1910 at the behest of the bankers who backed the business loans) and regain a controlling interest in the company. In 1917, Durant folded Chevrolet into GM.

During the seven-year production lifespan of the Series 490, nearly 800,000 examples were produced.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2021