Frontenac Motor Corporation
Frontenac Motor Corporation was the joint venture of brothers Louis, Gaston, and Arthur Chevrolet. The company was named Frontenac after the 17th Century governor of France's North American colonies. Main business was preparing racing parts for Model T Mx
Louis returned to the Indy 500 racing circuit after leaving Chevrolet in 1915. His first year on the circuit, he drove a Cornelian, but the following year, 1916, he and Arthur qualified behind the wheel of a car of Louis' design. Both failed; Louis with a broken rod and Arthur with magneto problems. The Frontenac racecars were seen on the racetrack running strong in 1916, but racing was suspended for 1917 and 1918 due to World War I. In 1919, Louis finished 7th at the Indy 500, Gaston 10th. In 1920, Gaston won that race, Louis quit with steering problems. Gaston's redesigned Monroe-Frontenac was the first car that got the distance without making a tire change.
Tommy Miller won the 1921 Indianapolis 500 in a Frontenac, and a privately owned Frontenacecame 3rd (behind a Duesenberg) and Ralph Mulford with another team car finished 9th. Best ranking of Frontenac at the 1921 Indianapolis 500 was 9th place for Tom Alley. A Frontenac-prepared Ford (or "Fronty Ford") finished 14th.
The Chevrolet brothers retired from racing in the early 1920s. Fronty-Ford parts were available for some time, and Fronty-Fords successfully competed in dirt track racing.
[edit] External links
- Chevrolet Builds Fords retrieved Jan 31, 2012
- New York Times on the 1920 crash in which Gaston Chevrolet was killed http://carsandracingstuff.com/library/] retrieved Jan 31, 2012
1921 Indianapolis 500 statistics retrieved Jan 31, 2012
