Louis Chevrolet (December 25th 1878 with La Chaux-de-Fonds, Swiss - June 6th 1941 with Strait, the United States) was a Mécanicien and a Entrepreneur American Automobile . It founded the mark of car " Chevrolet ".

Biography

Born in Switzerland, Louis Chevrolet moves with Beaune (France) with all his family in 1887. Engaged as a mechanic in a bicycle seller of Beaune, it leaves then to Paris in 1899, where it works for the automobile firm Darracq before crossing the Atlantic and settling in New York in 1900 after a short passage by Montreal. In New York, it is engaged as mechanic at Of Dion-Button then at Buick. Louis in parallel starts a career of racing driver: in 1905 it is pointed out by gaining the first competition in which it takes part, by beating the record of the mile. Louis Chevrolet is not long in acquiring a solid reputation and is even called “the runner more the breakage-neck of the world”. Between 1905 and 1920, following serious accidents, it will pass a 3 years total on a bed of hospital, once saved by a piece of the frame exceeding above its head. During this period, four of its mechanics will be killed (at the time, the presence of the mechanics on the car during race was obligatory).

At Buick, mark of which it became one of the official pilots, it meets the contractor William C. During, with which it joins in 1911 to assemble a new automobile mark. In order to benefit from the notoriety of pilot of Louis, the mark takes the name of " Chevrolet ". But the two men are not long in scrambling themselves. Following ceaseless dissensions on the direction to be given to the mark, Louis resells in 1913 his shares of the company (as well as the exclusive use of the name Chevrolet) with During.

Louis Chevrolet then decides to take again his career of racing driver: with his young brothers Arthur and Gaston (also pilot and mechanics), it establishes the mark Frontenac, which it intends for the competition and in particular for the 500 miles of Indianapolis, the test queen of the American automobile sport. In four participations in Indy 500, Louis obtains his best result with one 7th place in 1919. In 1920, qualified in first line, it is quickly constrained with the abandonment but is comforted largely with the victory of his Gaston brother, who makes triumph Frontenac family. But at the end of the year, Gaston kills himself in a test in California, which encourages Louis to put a term at its career.

In the years 1920, it launches with Arthur a building firm of engines of plane, but an argument with his brother, then the crisis of 1929 ruin it. Of return to Chevrolet as a simple mechanic in the factories of Strait, it is weakened by several brain attacks and dies in 1941.

Its bust appears at the entry of the museum of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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