Frontenac Motor Corporation was a joint venture of Louis Chevrolet, Indy 500 winner Joseph Boyer Jr., Indianapolis car dealer William Small, and Zenith Carburetor president Victor Heftler. Per articles of Incorporation on file in the Michigan State Archives, it was founded in Detroit in December 1915.[1][2] The company focused on building high-performance automobiles that would be used in major AAA events, including the Indianapolis 500.[1]
Gaston Chevrolet won the 1920 Indianapolis 500 in a Frontenac, but died a few months later in a late-season race in Los Angeles in November 1920; he had already accumulated enough points to posthumously win the championship.[3] In 1921, Frontenac won the Indy 500 again, this time at the hands of Tommy Milton, and the company entered into a deal with Stutz Motor Company to build passenger cars. However, the deal fell through soon after, and Frontenac Motors filed bankruptcy protection in 1923.[1]
Other uses
editThere is a private organization of collectors of early automobiles called the Frontenac Motor Corporation which appears to have no connection to the 1915 company.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b c Kramer, Ralph (October 31, 2011). "Louis Chevrolet: His gift was cars, not corporations". Automotive News. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
- ^ Lorentz, Lisa (September 20, 2013). "Friday Favorite: Driven to the Grave". Historic Indianapolis. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
- ^ Borroz, Tony (November 25, 2009). "Nov. 25, 1920: Gaston Chevrolet Dies in Race Crash". Wired. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
- ^ "The Frontenac Motor Company & The Ford Model T". Frontenac Motor Company. Archived from the original on October 12, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
External links
edit- Chevrolet Builds Fords retrieved Jan 31, 2012
- New York Times on the 1920 crash in which Gaston Chevrolet was killed
- 1921 Indianapolis 500 statistics retrieved Jan 31, 2012
- Frontenac Racing History at ChevroletBrothers.com