Chevrolet 490

Chevrolet Series 490 at a glance

Development and production history

Chevrolet was founded on 3 November 1911 by Louis Chevrolet, his brother Arthur and William C. Durant, who had earlier lost control of General Motors; the first factory was in Flint, Michigan. Its first car, the Series C Classic Six designed by Etienne Planche, was expensive, and Louis Chevrolet, who had differences with Durant over design, sold his share to Durant in 1914. The much cheaper Series 490 that followed became the company's first big success.

The car appeared in June 1915 at US$490 (1915), US$5 below the Ford Model T, which then started at US$495 (1915). It was successful at once: English Wikipedia gives about 70,701 cars for 1916. The profits made it possible for Durant to buy GM shares and regain control of General Motors. The English article on the 490 dates the merger of Chevrolet into GM to 1917. The article on Chevrolet says that the deal was completed in 1918, when Durant became GM president and Chevrolet became a division.

After the First World War prices rose quickly, and by 1921 the average price of a 490 was US$820 (1921), far from the figure in its name. Prices then fell sharply in 1922, when production reached its peak of about 243,479 cars. The 490 was then replaced by the Chevrolet Superior.

Design and engineering

The 490 is a simple front-engined, rear-wheel-drive car on a 102 in (2,591 mm) wheelbase, with a four-door touring body as the original version. Its four-cylinder engine has overhead valves and drives through a cone clutch and a three-speed selective-sliding gearbox. Weight varied with the body: 1,820–2,500 lb (826–1,134 kg) in 1916, 1,820–2,160 lb (826–980 kg) in 1918–1921 and 1,435–2,150 lb (651–975 kg) in 1922.

Electric horns were standard. By 1921 standard equipment included a speedometer, an ammeter, headlamp dimmers and, on closed cars, dome lights.

Engine and drivetrain

With one engine for all versions, the 490 relied on low price, not choice. Our power converter gives the 18 kW (24 hp) rating in PS as well.

Chevrolet 490 specifications

Variants and derivatives

Chevrolet before and beside the 490

The 490 arrived when Chevrolet was barely four years old. The company was incorporated on 8 November 1911, and its first production cars were 1913 models; the first, the Series C Classic Six, was described as costly. The cheaper 490 sold successfully and became the basis of the company's growth.

Chevrolet also tried a larger car alongside it. The Series D, a V8 model, was introduced for the 1918 model year, but it sold poorly and was dropped in 1919. In the same year GMC's commercial trucks were rebranded as Chevrolets. The 490's own Light Delivery, added in 1918 on a cowl chassis and rated at half a ton, was already part of the range. From 1918 the 490 could thus be bought as an open car, a closed car or a small commercial vehicle, all with the same engine.

The production network grew with the sales. English Wikipedia lists five US assembly plants for the 490 - Flint, North Tarrytown, Oakland, Norwood and St. Louis - and Oshawa, Ontario, in Canada, from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic.

Rival to the Ford Model T

The 490 was aimed squarely at the Ford Model T, and English Wikipedia says that it took a share of Ford's market. Its launch price was US$5 (1915) below the cheapest Model T of the time, and it offered an overhead-valve engine and a three-speed selective gearbox. The story of Ford's car is told in our Ford Model T article. Above all, the 490 turned Chevrolet into a large-scale producer and gave Durant the means to retake General Motors, whose history is in our history of General Motors.

The 490 in numbers

From about 70,701 cars in 1916 to about 243,479 in 1922, production rose almost three and a half times. The 1921 drop is clearly visible: output halved from about 150,226 in 1920 to about 76,370, and then more than tripled in 1922 when prices were cut. In 1922 the cheapest 490 cost US$510 (1922), only US$20 more than the 1915 launch price, but more than US$300 below the 1921 average of US$820 (1921). With 18 kW and weights of 651–975 kg in 1922, the car had about 36–54 kg per kilowatt.

The price table also shows how the range widened. In 1916 the dearest 490 cost US$200 (1916) more than the cheapest; by 1921, with closed bodies in the range, the spread was US$580, from US$795 to US$1,375 (1921). In 1922 the whole range was cheaper again, between US$510 and US$875 (1922), and that year became the most successful of the model's life. The figures suggest how sensitive buyers in this class were to price: the year with the lowest prices since 1916 was also the year with by far the highest production.

Which 490 to look for

• For the original idea: an early touring car or roadster of 1915–1917.
• For comfort: a 1921–1922 car with the fuller standard equipment, or a closed coupé or sedan.
• For work: a Light Delivery from 1918, an early Chevrolet commercial vehicle.
• For the best-documented year: a 1922 car, from the largest production year and with the widest choice of bodies and equipment.

Because the 490 used one engine throughout, the body style and the equipment are the clearest guide to a car's year.

The brand's story is told in our history of Chevrolet. Today's models are in the Chevrolet catalogue, and more early cars in classic cars.