Hard Driving Louis Chevrolet

Louis Chevrolet is probably best known as car maker. His last name still thrives as one of the most familiar automobile brands in the world. Make no mistake, despite the accomplishments of his younger brothers Arthur and 1920 Indianapolis 500-winner Gaston there should be no confusion that the Chevrolet name remains prominent because of the influence of Louis.
 
It's probably not news to anyone taking the time to read these words that Louis and Arthur did not impress as businessmen. Louis famously had a falling out with partner and former General Motors Chairman William Crapo Durant. The story goes he even burst into Durant's office and throttled him. The imagery of black eyes and a smashed and bloody nose is probably no exaggeration.
 
Louis' temperament is certainly the underpinning of his frustration as a businessman. Born in Switzerland but largely raised in France, the hotbed of early days automobile development, he sharpened his skills building bicycles. The mechanical fundamentals of the bicycle, especially the chains and gears, were the underpinning of first generation automobiles. He possessed a genius for such things and had little patience for those less blessed with the aptitude he valued most, and was totally intolerant of anyone he saw as a poser.
 
In pursuit of his fortune and the ability to care for his family after the death of his father, Louis migrated to French-speaking regions of Canada at the beginning of the 20th Century. His mechanical aptitude made him eminently employable in the industrial age, and especially in the burgeoning auto industry. Once established, his family - mother and brothers - followed.
 
By 1905 Louis had migrated to the United States and had taken up auto racing, his first event at the recently re-purposed horse track, Morris Park. He startled the motorsports community by getting the best of the then recognized superstar, Barney Oldfield. A 40 HP advantage made all the difference.
 
Louis' temperament was reflected in his all-out driving. He was truly one of those guys that seemed purely binary: win or break. Break, as in destroy the car or lose control and wreck. He was fearless in a brutal time with no safety measures in place. Zero.
 
One amazing and documented tale is that during the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup he came to a railroad crossing (yes, the active course not only had a rail crossing, but one with trains in service) with a train fast approaching. More timid hearts may have done everything they could to pull up, but not Louis. He gassed his Fiat racer to its absolute limit and averted collision in crossing the tracks literally inches before the massive locomotive.
 
In the June 1909 Cobe Trophy he thrashed his Buick over a rough Crown Point, Indiana road course to the point of shaking to pieces. He finished with only three of the engine's four cylinders operating, but he won the Hoosier state's first major auto race.
 
Later that year he raced and won at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on its treacherous crushed stone and tar running surface. A rain of stone chips was just all in day's work for a driver. In the fateful Wheeler-Schebler Trophy that would result in three fatalities and other injuries Chevrolet led early. He was outed by a stone that shattered the lens of his goggles, scattering glass chips into his eyes. Temporarily blinded he brought his Buick to a halt and with the assistance of his riding mechanic made his way to the infield hospital where a doctor armed with tweezers extracted the dangerous particles.
The Buick team, along with fellow drivers Louis Strang and "Wild" Bob Burman were on a tear. In the autumn Chevrolet led the charge to reel off a stream of American track records on Atlanta's two-mile red clay oval track.
 
In 1910 Louis was back in action with Buick at the new Brickyard. Not surprisingly he had a spill during practice for the first Memorial Day race meet at IMS. Sure, this may seem like an obscure reference but that is one of the joys of First Super Speedway. Here you will find coverage otherwise lost to the ages. Just as important, though, every post is backed up by a copy of the original reference with links to a treasure chest of additional information highly relevant to the in-period article. Every page is a wondrous window to reams of information about my favorite history. What's more I take absolute joy in sharing it with you.