The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1961-11-03
CHEVROLET ROSE
TO SUCCESS FROM
SMALL BEGINNING
Automobile Company Now cele-
brating 5oth Anniversary Was
Once Near determination.

p1dTinQ DUN anniversary VVdS
Once Near determination.
DETROIT -- Chevrolet, which
conquered early forecasts of oblivion
and an automobile legend to be-
come the worlds best selling car,
celebrates its 50th anniversary to-
day Nov. 3.
The early hardships stemmed
from the company's meager begin
nings in an old garage building in
Detroit with shoe-string financing
and an organization which produced
and sold less than $4,000 cars dur
ing its first five years. The legend
was that of Henry Ford and his
Model T, an automobile which
aroused great public appeal as a
car for the masses about the time
Chevrolet was seeking a foothold
in the automobile business.
Several special programs are
planned to commemorate the ami
versary.
Today an hour-long national TV
spectacular will salute the compa-
ny's 50th birthday. It touches off
a week-long celebration at Chevro-
let dealerships across the country
during which special birthday pro-.
grams will be held. One special fea-.
ture is record album starring
original recordings by top artists.
It comes to a climax on Nov. 10
when 81 of the company's manufac-
turing and assembly plants will
hold open houses for several hum
bred thousand employees, their fami-
lies and community friends.
But, essentially, Chevrolet will
celebrate its golden anniversary do
ing what it does hest. Its plants
will be humming at top speed to
build enough cars and trucks to
satisfy anticipated record demand
for it's 1862 products.
Chevrolet's Golden Anniversary"
lineup is the largest and most var
led in the company's history, ac-
cording to E. N. Cole, general man.
ager of the Chevrolet division and
vice president Of General Motors.
A total of 80 models are included
in the Corvair, Chevy II, Corvette
and regular lines plus 200 different
truck models.
Based on strong public acceptance
of the 1862 products, Cole predicts
sales of 10 million passenger cars
and 100000 trucks for his division
next year. If achieved, this will es-
tablish a new industry record for
sales of automotive vehicles by one
company during a year. 1t would
also represent more vehicles than
Chevrolet produced and sold during
its first Is years of operation.
To produce this volume of cars
and trucks, Chevrolet maintains %
manufacturing and Is assembly
plants around the country. To sell.
and service its products, Chevro-
let operates Al parts service ware
houses and 81 sales offices located
strategically across the United
States. Over 100000 people are cur
rently on the company's payrolls.
Chevrolet's nationwide operations
today are far cry from the COM
pany's localized and faltering ac-
tivities during its first few years of
existence.
Chevrolet was founded by Will
liam c. Durant, a Flint businessman
who in 1908 had organized the Gen.
eral Motors Company which later
became General Morors Corpora
ton. Because of financial difficult
ties, however, Durant lost control
of his youthful consolidation in 1910
and immediately was looking for
a new vehicle with which he could
regain power in the automotive in
dustry. To this end, he organized
the Chevrolet Motor Company
which was Incorporated on Nov. 8,
1911. .
To design car for his new
company, Durant hired Louis Chew
rclet, one Of three French brothers
who had gained worldwide fame as
race drivers. Chevrolet spent two
years designing q car which, with
some styling notifications, was
put into production in 1912 bu
Ireceived limited public acceptanrn