Frontenac Motor Corporation
Frontenac Motor Corporation was a joint venture of automobile racing brothers Louis, Gaston, and Arthur Chevrolet. It was founded in 1914[1] in Indianapolis[2] to build high-performance automobiles that would be used in the brothers' own pursuit of glory at the Indianapolis 500.[1]
An early investor was former world-class cyclist and Flint, Michigan-based industrialist Albert Champion, who left the venture soon after almost being beaten to death by Louis Chevrolet in an argument.[1]
Gaston Chevrolet won the 1920 Indianapolis 500 in a Frontenac, but died a few months later in a late-season race in Los Angeles in November 1920; the dead man still won that racing season on points, however.[3] In 1921, Frontenac won the Indy 500 again, this time at the hands of Tommy Milton, and the brothers' promising company entered into a deal with Stutz Motor Company. However, the deal quickly went wrong, and Frontenac Motors ended that year.[1]
Other uses
There is a private organization of collectors of early automobiles calling itself the Frontenac Motor Corporation that appears to have no connection to the 1914 company.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d Kramer, Ralph (October 31, 2011). "Louis Chevrolet: His gift was cars, not corporations". Automotive News. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
- ^ Lorentz, Lisa (September 20, 2013). "Friday Favorite: Driven to the Grave". Historic Indianapolis. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
- ^ Borroz, Tony (November 25, 2009). "Nov. 25, 1920: Gaston Chevrolet Dies in Race Crash". Wired. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
- ^ "The Frontenac Motor Company & The Ford Model T". Frontenac Motor Company. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
External links
- Chevrolet Builds Fords retrieved Jan 31, 2012
- New York Times on the 1920 crash in which Gaston Chevrolet was killed
- Library retrieved Jan 31, 2012
- 1921 Indianapolis 500 statistics retrieved Jan 31, 2012
