The Series 490 instigated the century-long battle between Ford and Chevrolet for sales supremacy in the low-priced field.
First shown at the New York Auto Show in January of 1915 and officially placed on sale in June of that year, the Chevrolet 490 was a daring shot across the bow at Henry Ford, courtesy of William C. Durant. The numbers 490 were a direct challenge to the $495 list price of the 1915 Model T, and they represented the base price of this new low-priced Chevy as well.
The two cars were remarkably similar in size: 100-inch wheelbase for the Ford; 102 inches for the Chevy 490. And the Chevy mirrored the Ford in styling and features as well. But while Ford was able to lower prices even further over the next few years with its greater economy of scale and lower manufacturing costs, Chevrolet employed an opposite strategy, gradually raising prices while improving quality and adding more standard features. Eventually, the 490’s price rose to more than $800, but it included electric starting and other conveniences, while at Ford they were generally extra-cost items not included in the low-balled list price.
The 490’s inline four, a simplified version of the H Series engine as used in the Chevrolet Royal Mail and Baby Grand models, displaced 170 cubic inches, close to the Model T’s 177 CID. And both the 490 and the Model T were rated at around 22 horsepower. But the Chevy was considerably more sophisticated with a mechanical water pump, battery ignition, and an overhead-valve cylinder head.
However, unlike the Model T, the Chevy’s valve gear was exposed to the elements and required regular lubrication—note the handy oil can fixed to the firewall in the photo above. The 490 also boasted a conventional three-speed, sliding-gear transmission, in contrast to the odd but effective planetary gearbox of the Model T.
The 490 Series was introduced just as Chevrolet founder Billy Durant was engineering his return to General Motors, where he had been ejected in 1910. Trading Chevrolet stock for GM shares, by New Year’s Day of 1916 he was effectively back in control. So it can be said that GM did not acquire Chevrolet, but rather it was Chevrolet that acquired GM. When Chevrolet officially became a GM division in 1918, it was the company’s top-selling brand mainly on the strength of the Series 490, Chevrolet’s first high-volume car. In fact, Chevrolet soon dwarfed all the other GM car divisions, a condition that persists to this day.
The Series 490 enjoyed its best year in 1922, also its final year in production, at around nearly 244,000 vehicles. With a total of nearly 800,000 cars, the 490 never came close to rivaling the Model T’s giant volume of 15 million units. But it provided the basis and set the stage for new and improved Chevrolet models, including the Superior and Capitol. When Henry Ford stumbled in 1927, discontinuing the Model T without a successor in place, Chevrolet passed Ford for the first time to become the USA’s best-selling car.
Thank you for printing this. There’s way too little time spent on Chevrolet prior to the 1929 introduction of the Stovebolt Six, and especially what attention is given to their first ten years in the marketplace. Most people don’t realize that in the post-WWI recession, business was going badly enough for General Motors that they were seriously considering dropping Chevrolet as a brand. Ok, admittedly, this was the time the Durant got booted out for the second and final time, and no doubt there were some noses out of joint over Chevrolet taking ownership of GM, but the 490 is the car that saved the Chevrolet brand. Take that car, add in some more competent management (Mr. Sloan), and General Motors was off for the next fifty years.
It makes you think about the fine line between success and failure. There were many competent cars being made during this era and we can’t pinpoint what made Chevrolet the survivor.
Henry Ford was a one hit wonder and nearly drove his empire into the ground. It’s easy to see why the Model T did so well but what put Chevrolet in the position to take over in 1928? Was it better distribution? Marketing? Was it just superior to all others? This post helps me see how GM was able to get their foot in the door.
I am of the opinion that in 25 years, the American manufacturers will be down to Ford, Chevy and maybe Cadillac.
Thanks, Don. For me, the clearest way to frame it is that Henry Ford wanted to sell Americans their first car, while Alfred P. Sloan of General Motors wanted to sell them their second car. If Ford had his way, he would prefer to keep making Model Ts forever. He thought it should be enough for any customer. Sloan could see that Americans would always want something better.
This was my dad’s first new car. He was a clothier, and the salesmen in the Alexandria VA Chevrolet dealer were his customers. He got a new Chevy each year until `28, for about what a set of tires and brakes would have cost.