Billy Durant regained control of General Motors by trading his Chevrolet stock for that of General Motors. Meanwhile, he kept Chevrolet out of the big corporation for two years. Durant also assumed the presidency of General Motors upon resignation of his friend and former employee, Charles W. Nash, who purchased the Thomas B. Jeffery Co., going on to produce the Nash automobile in 1917.

This did nothing to quell Durant’s enthusiasm for the Chevrolet automobile. He continued to transform the marque by signing a contract with the Gardner Buggy Co. of St. Louis to build his price leader, the 490. Later in the year, assembly plants were opened in Fort Worth, Texas, and Bay City, Michigan; the Warner Gear Co. of Toledo, Ohio, was added and converted to a Chevrolet factory. By year end, another plant was added in Oakland, California, and Chevrolet production catapulted to 70,000 vehicles.

Most emphasis was placed on the Model 490, which incidentally got its name from its price, $490. Both Touring and Roadster models were available, making it the first time Chevrolet came close to the price of a Model T. In fact, 18,000 were produced in 1916, the model’s first year of availability and a fraction of the competitor Model T’s sales.

Chevrolet introduced the four-cylinder Baby Grand and companion Royal Mail models late in 1913 as 1914 models and continued to offer them through 1916. These were the first cars to sport the now famous “bow tie” emblem as well as a vastly improved four-cylinder engine over their predecessor. Weighing in at 2,500 pounds, the Series H, Model H-4 Baby Grand, was priced at $720.

The car is described as a much older restoration, though the interior remains very nice. Painted white with a black top and interior, it shows some wear from normal use. It is equipped with a comb clutch, and the leather is described as nice and still pliable. Noted as a nice running and driving example, the early Chevrolet joined the AACA Museum collection in 1997 and has remained on static display there for some time. It is advised that the buyer fully service the car before placing it in routine service.

This year marks the 105th anniversary of the Chevrolet marque and this car’s 100th birthday! It is time to celebrate with the purchase of this rare model from Chevrolet’s earliest years.