See the impressive new 1929 Chevrolet put to the test at the GM Proving Ground in this early Jam Handy film.

Introduced on November 17, 1928, the 1929 Chevrolet was a critically important product for General Motors. (See our feature on the Chevy Six here.) With its advanced six-cylinder engine, this new Chevy defined the GM economy brand for decades to come. And at the same time, it raised the standards for the rest of the low-priced field. The four-cylinder Model A Ford, introduced in late ’27, and the new four-cylinder Plymouth, introduced in the summer of ’28, were now forced to play catch-up. Chevy drove home the point with the slogan, “a six for the price of a four.”

In this early Jam Handy silent film, entitled Outstanding Performance, we see the Chevrolet Six put to the test at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford Michigan, which at this point was barely six years old and looks almost barren. The acceleration figures shown here may not seem like much today (0-to-25 mph in 5.5 seconds, for example) but for a low-priced car in 1929 they were impressive indeed. The 0-45 mph performance of 17 seconds is nearly two seconds quicker than the time recorded in a Model A road test by Motor Trend in August 1962. But then, the Chevy was rated at 46 hp while the Model A was good for 40 hp. Video below.