Chevrolet Series C Classic Six
Encyclopedia
The 1911 to 1913 Chevrolet Series C Classic Six is a Brass Era
American automobile, and is the first ever Chevrolet. It is one of the few Chevrolets made while record-setting Buick
race car driver Louis Chevrolet
was with the company. This early 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.
had been selling his much less expensive Model T for three years, in six models by the time Chevrolet entered the market. The Chevys that followed, under the management of Durant, would be much cheaper 4-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, a cowl light, and electric headlights.
block cast in three banks of two, with a T-head configuration, that produced 40 horsepower. The T-head engine is a sidevalve 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. At first, a Simms magneto
with a compressed-air starter was installed, but later models were equipped with a Gray and Davis electric starter. This was the biggest Chevy engine until the 1958 348.
Louis Chevrolet left Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1915, and by 1916 had started a race car company with his brother Gaston Chevrolet
.
Brass Era car
The automotive Brass Era is the first period of automotive manufacturing, named for the prominent brass fittings used during this time for such things as lights and radiators. It extends from the first commercial automobiles marketed in the 1890s until about World War I...
American automobile, and is the first ever Chevrolet. It is one of the few Chevrolets made while record-setting Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
race car driver Louis Chevrolet
Louis Chevrolet
Louis-Joseph Chevrolet was a Swiss-born American race car driver of French descent, co-founder of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1911 and later, the Frontenac Motor Corporation in 1916 which made racing parts for Ford's Model T.-Early life:Born in 1878 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a center of...
was with the company. This early 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 First Chevy
The Chevrolet Series C also called the Chevrolet Classic Six (Series C), Chevrolet Model C or, at the time it was new, simply the Chevrolet (since there were no other models to confuse), was the first Chevrolet, and was also sold by other makes. It was a large, well constructed car. It had a 6 cylinder engine up front and a three-speed gearbox with a cone clutch mounted at the rear axle. Henry FordHenry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
had been selling his much less expensive Model T for three years, in six models by the time Chevrolet entered the market. The Chevys that followed, under the management of Durant, would be much cheaper 4-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, a cowl light, and electric headlights.
European Flair
Penned by Etienne Planche under direction from Louis Chevrolet, the Chevy with its low running boards had a design more resembling European cars. Radiator shell and Chevrolet nameplate were silver (the "bow-tie" emblem didn't appear until the 1914 Chevrolet Series H), 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 T-head engine
Chevrolet's first engine, a liquid cooled 299-cubic-inch, six-cylinder cast ironCast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
block cast in three banks of two, with a T-head configuration, that produced 40 horsepower. The T-head engine is a sidevalve engine that is distinguished from the much more common L-head engine
Flathead engine
A flathead engine is an internal combustion engine with valves placed in the engine block beside the piston, instead of in the cylinder head, as in an overhead valve 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. At first, a Simms magneto
Frederick Richard Simms
Frederick Richard Simms was a British mechanical engineer, businessman, prolific inventor and motor industry pioneer. Simms coined the words "petrol" and "motorcar"...
with a compressed-air starter was installed, but later models were equipped with a Gray and Davis electric starter. This was the biggest Chevy engine until the 1958 348.
Production notes
| Year | Production | Base Price | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | 1 | N/A | 3,500 lbs. | prototype, no top |
| 1912 | 2,998 (approx.) | $2,150 | 3,500 lbs. | |
| 1913 | 5,987 (approx.) | $2,500 | 3,750 lbs. | |
| Total | 8,986 (approx.) |
Related Cars
William Durrant assembled these three companys to form Chevrolet:- The Little Motor Car CompanyLittle (automobile)The Little was an automobile built in Flint, Michigan by the Little Motor Car Company from 1912-15. The Little first was available as a two-seater with a four-cylinder 20 hp engine, and had a wheelbase of . In 1914 a 3.6 L six-cylinder L-head engine was available in a later model that had a...
- The Mason Motor Company
- The Republic Motor Company
Louis Chevrolet left Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1915, and by 1916 had started a race car company with his brother Gaston Chevrolet
Gaston Chevrolet
Gaston Chevrolet was a French-born American racecar champion driver and automobile manufacturer.-Early life:...
.
- The Frontenac Motor CorporationFrontenac Motor CorporationFrontenac Motor Corporation was the joint venture of Louis and Gaston Chevrolet. Louis returned to the Indy 500 racing circuit after leaving Chevrolet in 1915...