Great question! While the brand name Chevrolet itself has French roots—it’s the surname of Louis Chevrolet, a Swiss-born race car driver with French linguistic heritage—the actual vehicle names from Chevrolet aren’t typically derived from French words.
Here’s a breakdown:
🏁 The Name “Chevrolet”
- Origin: Named after Louis Chevrolet, co-founder of the company in 1911.
- Linguistic roots: The surname “Chevrolet” sounds French and includes the diminutive suffix “-et,” common in French names like ballet or omelet2.
- Meaning: Despite the French sound, it’s a surname—not a word with a specific meaning in French.
🚗 Vehicle Names with French Influence?
Most Chevrolet vehicle names are not French. They tend to be:
- English descriptors (e.g., Cruze, Trailblazer, Silverado)
- Spanish or Latin-inspired (e.g., Camaro—possibly from a French slang term meaning “friend,” though this is debated)
- Invented or stylized names (e.g., Equinox, Tahoe, Blazer)
🤔 What About “Camaro”?
This one’s interesting:
- Chevrolet claimed Camaro meant “friend” in French slang when it launched in the 1960s.
- However, no such word exists in standard French. It’s likely a marketing invention with a French flavor to evoke camaraderie and style.
So while the brand carries a French-sounding name, the vehicles themselves are mostly named with American flair or global appeal, not directly from French vocabulary.
🏁 Formation of Chevrolet Motor Company
- Founded: November 1911
- Founders: Louis Chevrolet, a Swiss-born race car driver, and William C. Durant, a visionary businessman who had previously founded GM in 1908.
- Purpose: After Durant was ousted from GM in 1910 due to overexpansion and financial troubles, he launched Chevrolet to compete with Ford’s Model T and regain influence in the auto industry.
- Early Success: Chevrolet quickly gained traction, turning a profit and building a reputation for stylish, reliable cars.
🔄 Acquisition by General Motors
- Date of Acquisition: May 2, 1918
- How It Happened: Durant used Chevrolet’s success to buy up GM stock. In a strategic move, he offered GM shareholders five shares of Chevrolet for every one share of GM. The offer was irresistible, and it allowed Durant to reclaim control of GM.
- Irony: Durant had been forced out of GM in 1910, only to return by merging it with the company he built after his exile.
- Aftermath: Durant became GM’s president again—but only briefly. In 1920, financial troubles returned, and Pierre S. DuPont took control, permanently removing Durant from GM.
🚘 Legacy
- Chevrolet became a cornerstone of GM’s brand portfolio, known for iconic models like the Corvette, Camaro, and Silverado.
- The merger helped GM dominate the American auto industry for decades, with Chevrolet playing a key role in its rise.
It’s a classic tale of comeback and corporate chess. Want to explore how Chevrolet’s early models stacked up against Ford’s at the time?
Ford Model T (1908–1927)
Price: Dropped to under $300 by the mid-1920s thanks to Ford’s revolutionary assembly line.
Engine: 2.9L inline-4, ~20 horsepower.
Strengths:
Mass production = affordability.
Durable and simple to maintain.
Became the symbol of American mobility.
Weaknesses:
Spartan features.
Manual crank start (early models).
Limited styling and comfort.
🚘 Chevrolet Series 490 (1915–1922)
Price: Introduced at $490, hence the name.
Engine: 171 cu in inline-4, ~24 horsepower.
Strengths:
More advanced tech: overhead valve engine, electric starter, better instrumentation.
Smoother ride and more refined interior.
Positioned as “more car for the same money.”
Weaknesses:
Slightly higher price.
Less brand recognition early on.
⚔️ Head-to-Head Highlights
Feature Ford Model T Chevy Series 490
Price ~$300 (1920s) $490 (intro price)
Horsepower ~20 HP ~24 HP
Starter Manual (early) Electric (later models)
Transmission 2-speed planetary 3-speed manual
Market Position Mass-market leader Challenger with upgrades
🏁 Outcome
Ford dominated early on, selling millions of Model Ts.
Chevrolet slowly gained ground with better features and comfort.
By 1927, Ford shut down Model T production to retool for the Model A, and Chevrolet surpassed Ford in sales for the first time.
🚗 Ford Model A (1928–1931)
- Engine: 3.3L inline-4, producing 40 horsepower
- Transmission: 3-speed manual
- Price: Around $495 for a Tudor Sedan
- Strengths:
- Stylish design by Edsel Ford
- Reliable and easy to maintain
- Came in multiple colors (unlike the Model T’s “any color as long as it’s black”)
- Weaknesses:
- Still a 4-cylinder, while competitors were moving to six
- Basic interior and limited features
🛠️ Chevrolet Stovebolt Six (1929)
- Engine: 3.2L inline-6, producing 46 horsepower initially, later boosted to 50+ HP
- Design: Overhead valve (OHV), nicknamed “Cast-Iron Wonder”
- Marketing tagline: “A Six for the Price of a Four”
- Strengths:
- Smoother performance and more power than Ford’s 4-cylinder
- Advanced engineering with OHV design
- Only about $100 more than the Model A
- Impact:
- Helped Chevrolet regain the sales lead from Ford in 1931
- Became the foundation of Chevy’s engineering reputation for decades
⚔️ Head-to-Head Snapshot
| Feature | Ford Model A | Chevy Stovebolt Six |
| Engine | 4-cylinder, 40 HP | 6-cylinder, 46–50 HP |
| Price | ~$495 | ~$595 |
| Design | Flathead | Overhead Valve (OHV) |
| Ride Quality | Basic | Smoother, more refined |
| Market Impact | Stylish upgrade from Model T | Game-changer in power and value |
This was a turning point: Ford had style, but Chevrolet brought power and innovation. The Stovebolt Six wasn’t just a better engine—it was a strategic move that helped Chevrolet dominate the market for years.
🔧 Ford’s Flathead V8 (1932)
Introduced: 1932, in the Ford Model 18
Innovation: First mass-produced, affordable V8 engine
Specs: 3.6L V8, ~65 horsepower
Impact:
Made high performance accessible to everyday drivers
Revolutionized the auto industry by offering power at a low price
Became a favorite among hot rodders—and criminals
Ford’s move was a direct response to Chevrolet’s six-cylinder success in 1929. Henry Ford, who disliked inline-sixes, pushed for a bold leap: a single-piece cast V8 block, which was unheard of at the time.
🕵️ Clyde Barrow’s Letter to Henry Ford (1934)
Date: April 10, 1934
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Content: Clyde praised the Ford V8 as the ultimate getaway car. He wrote:
Context:
Clyde and Bonnie Parker were infamous for their string of robberies and murders across the Midwest.
They routinely stole Ford V8s for their speed and reliability.
The letter was unsolicited and handwritten—an odd kind of product endorsement from a fugitive.
Legacy:
The letter is preserved at The Henry Ford Museum.
Though some handwriting experts question its authenticity, it’s widely accepted as genuine or at least consistent with Barrow’s style.
It added to the mythos of the Ford V8 as both a symbol of American ingenuity and outlaw infamy.
So yes—Ford’s engineering brilliance inadvertently became a tool for one of the most notorious crime sprees in U.S. history.
the Bonnie and Clyde “Death Car”, why it mattered, and how it became a macabre legend.
🚘 The Car: 1934 Ford Model 730 Deluxe Sedan
Color: Tan
Engine: Ford’s powerful Flathead V8
Why They Chose It:
It was faster than most police cars at the time.
The V8 engine gave them the edge in high-speed getaways.
It was stolen from a Kansas couple just weeks before their deaths.
🔫 The Ambush: May 23, 1934
Location: Bienville Parish, Louisiana
Event: A posse of six lawmen ambushed the car on a rural road.
Firepower: They unleashed 167 bullets, riddling the car with over 120 bullet holes3.
Outcome:
Clyde was killed instantly by a headshot.
Bonnie was hit multiple times—reportedly 26 wounds.
The car veered into a ditch and nearly overturned.
🧠 Why It’s Significant
Symbol of Rebellion: The car became a symbol of speed, defiance, and the outlaw mystique.
Cultural Impact:
Crowds swarmed the scene to see the bullet-riddled car.
Some people even tried to take shards of glass as souvenirs.
Touring Sideshow:
The car was returned to its original owner, Ruth Warren, who leased it out to tour the country.
It appeared at state fairs, amusement parks, and even racetracks where people paid to sit inside.
Current Location: Today, it’s on display at Whiskey Pete’s Casino in Primm, Nevada.
🕵️ The Legacy
This Ford V8 wasn’t just a getaway car—it became a gruesome celebrity. It represents the collision of innovation, crime, and media spectacle. And it’s a reminder of how even a stolen car can become a permanent part of American folklore.
Related: The story of Bonnie and Clyde
Home: https://www.wendellsweet.com
