1919 Chevrolet Series 490

William C. Durant and Frederic L. Smith co-founded General Motors in 1908, consolidating thirteen car companies and ten parts-and-accessories manufacturers under the new holding company's control. Cadillac was added in 1909, along with Oakland and numerous other automotive-related companies. Durants unrelenting acquisitions of companies caused General Motors to become overextended and faced a cash shortage, ultimately leading to Durant being forced out of the company in 1910.

Durant had taken over the Flint Wagon Works and Buick Motor Company of Flint, Michigan, in 1904, along with incorporating the Mason and Little companies. While serving as head of Buick, Durant had hired racing driver Louis Chevrolet to drive Buicks in promotional races. Chevrolet's racing career included FIAT and the Autocar Company of Philadelphia, and his skills as a driver, designer, and engineer was fined-tuned while working for Buick.

On November 3rd, 1911, he joined Durant on another endeavor - the founding of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company. The pair were joined by Louis's brother Arthur and investment partners William Little of the Little Automobile Company and Dr. Edwin R. Cambell (Durant's son-in-law) and Samuel McLaughlin of the McLaughlin Car Company of Canada Ltd.

Soon after the formation of the Chevrolet company, Louis left, selling Durant his share in the company in 1915, and started McLaughlin's Company in Canada, building Chevrolets. By 1916 the trading of Chevrolet stock for GM Holding stock enabled Durant to repurchase a controlling stake in General Motors, and by 1917 the Chevrolet company was merged as a company into General Motors.

The rift between Chevrolet and Durant was caused by different visions for vehicle design. Durant favored a small, lightweight car that could compete with the Henry Ford Motor T. The car designed by Louis was large with a base price that exceeded $2,000. Despite Durant's reservations about the vehicle, it was put into production as it had taken over a year-and-a-half to design and build. It was called the Classic Six and it wore four-door touring coachwork, came with a 299 cubic-inch twin-cam, six-cylinder engine, and was priced at $2,250.

The H-Series of 1914 was a step toward achieving Durant's goal, as it was smaller and less expensive. The 170.9 cubic-inch, overhead-valve four-cylinder engine had been designed by Arthur Mason and would remain in production through 1928. The H-series, which included the Royal Mail tourer and Amesbury Special roadster, was Chevrolet's mainstay until the arrival of the low-price 490 in 1916.

The Series 490 was so named for its price of the two basic body styles - the roadster and three-door tourer (neither had a left front door). It was minimalistic but better equipped than most low-priced vehicles on the market. It had a vertical windshield, running boards but no splash guards, and a top and top hood. Electric lighting and starting system were available for an additional $60. The wheelbase measured 102 inches, and power was from an overhead-valve four-cylinder engine with a 171 cubic-inch displacement, Zenith one-inch double-jet carburetor, three main bearings, solid valve lifters, and 24 horsepower. The engine was backed by a three-speed selective sliding transmission with a cone-type clutch and floor-mounted gearshift controls. Braking power was handled by external contracting rear wheel brakes. Wood-spoke artillery wheels were placed at all four corners.

The Series 490 gained a left front door for 1917, and the electric lamps and self-starter became standard equipment. An All-Season touring car joined the list of body styles and came with a permanent hardtop with flexible sliding windows, and the interior was trimmed in cloth upholstery. All-Season coupes and sedans with removable center posts were added in 1918, and the open bodies had windshields slanted at a 15-degree rearward slanting angle. The gas tank was mounted in the rear on closed-body styles.

1919 Chevrolet Series 490
The 1919 Chevrolet Series 490 was offered as a roadster priced at $715, a four-door tourer at $735, a four-door sedan at $1,185, and a coupe at $1,100. The overhead-valve four-cylinder engine continued to displace 171 cubic inches and developed 26 horsepower, backed by a three-speed selective sliding transmission. Changes were minimal, and prices included an ammeter, speedometer, tire pump, electric horn, demountable rims, a top, top hood, and windshield. The open cars now had a Bair top saddle replacing the previous bolt-on type, and coupes now had a fixed center post and full-frame door. The spare tire carrier now had a three-quarter circle design with a lever.

In comparison, the 1919 Ford Model T roadster was $500, the tourer at $525, a two-door sedan at $875, and the coupe at $750. The Model T rested on a 100-inch wheelbase (2-inches shorter than the Chevy), its 176.7 CID inline-four produced 20 horsepower (6 less than the Chevy), and its Planetary transmission had two gears (one less than Chevy). The Chevy represented a more refined automobile, priced higher than the utilitarian Ford, with more standard equipment. Demountable rims were optional on Ford vehicles for an additional $25 (standard on closed cars), and the starter was $75 (on open cars). With electric equipment, an instrumental panel was used for the first time on a Model T as factory equipment, which included an ammeter. Speedometers were dealer-installed options.

1919 was the first full year that Chevrolet was part of General Motors. Chevrolet built 127,231 examples of the Series 490 and 14,516 of the Series FB. The total production of Chevrolet vehicles was 149,904 units, including 17,431 examples constructed in Canada.

Chevrolet models for 1919 included the Series 490 and the Series FB. The Series FB had a 110-inch wheelbase, a 224 CID OHV four with 37 horsepower, and was priced from $1,110 to $1,685.

Production of the Chevy Series 490 continued through 1922.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2021