Billy Durant Biography

Chevrolet is a big part of the automobile industry. You can’t drive down the block without seeing a Chevrolet car or truck. In 1911, William Durant formed what was originally called the Chevrolet Motor Company. Durant was the founder of General Motors, but he had been forced out of the company in 1910 because he was financially overextended and banking interests assumed control, forcing him from management of GM. Using an important partnership with racecar driver Louis Chevrolet, Durant used the Chevrolet Motor Company to eventually resume a leading role in General Motors. In 1916, Durant had made enough money from Chevrolet Motor Company to purchase a majority share in General Motors. He once again controlled the company he had worked so hard

A statesman cannot afford to be a moralist, is what he always says. He was a leading pioneer of the United States Automobile Industry, the founder of GM and Chevy who created the system of multi-brand holding companies with different lines of cars. William C. Durant's father was a successful banker and his maternal grandfather, Henry Howland Crapo, was a lumber and railroad magnate who was Mayor of Flint when Durant was born and later became Governor of Michigan. Young Durant dropped out of high school to work in his grandfather's lumber business. He then used family money to purchase control of Josiah Dallas Dort's

Although Chevrolet was born in Switzerland, his family moved to France in 1886.” Written by Mark DeSantis in collaboration with Ralph J. Kramer. Louis Chevrolet learned basic mechanics from his father, a watchmaker. As a young man he built and raced bicycles, but he abandoned his bicycle business almost as soon as he saw an automobile. He worked at European auto factories, then came to Canada, where he worked as a chauffeur and mechanic. In 1901 he moved to Brooklyn, where he worked for the DeDion-Bouton motorcar company. Soon he was hired as driver for the Fiat auto racing team, and after several victories he became an American celebrity. He left Fiat to work for William C. Durant at General Motors, where Chevrolet became the lead driver for the Buick racing team. He went on to drive for Buick, where he learned about car designs. He used his designs and partner with William Durant to create Chevrolet. Chevrolet brought his younger brothers Arthur and Gaston to America to drive for Durant, founder of General Motors. Chevrolet drove a Buick in the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911 but a broken camshaft put him out of the race early. Meanwhile Durant split from GM and hired Chevrolet to make his dream car. Chevrolet was a consulting engineer in the Chevrolet Motor Car Company. When the Chevrolet Classic Six reached production in 1912