The Early Years 1909 William Durant , a successful buggy manufacturer from Flint, Michigan, asked Louis Chevrolet , a well known race car driver, to help design a car for introduction to the public. He had not yet formed a company to manufacture it. The Chevrolet Motor Car Company enters the turbulent automobile market on November 3. T. He chose to name the company after its designer, Louis Chevrolet, because he liked the sound of the name and because Chevrolet was a prominent name in motor sports.
Legend maintains that the bowtie shape was inspired by a pattern of wallpaper in a Paris hotel room.
In 1908, William Durant reportedly detached a small piece and kept it in his wallet, waiting for the day he'd put it to use. The bowtie became an advertising icon, and is still the marque of today's Chevrolet. 1917 Success of 490 pushes Chevy unit sales to the 100,000 mark. 1918 First Chevy truck sold. Chevy joins GM Corporation.