Louis Chevrolet will be at the Dubai Motor Show
Get to meet Chevy founder – despite him being dead for 70 years!
By Shahzad Sheikh
Chevrolet is celebrating its 100th anniversary at the Dubai Motor Show, and to do that they’re flying in a very special guest – the founder himself, Louis Chevrolet. We should just add that he was born in 1878 and died in 1941.
So how will GM be reviving his spirit and bringing it to Dubai? It’ll all be thanks to ‘augmented reality’. The manufacturer claims that old Louis will be on hand to meet and greet visitors to the stand and are inviting everyone to come and say hello!
Swiss-born Chevrolet was a racing driving and car designer who emigrated to the USA and teamed up with GM founder, William C ‘Billy’ Durant to found Chevrolet in November 1911. The first Chevy was the Series C Classic Six featuring a large 4.9-litre six-cylinder engine producing 40 horsepower and able to hit 105kph.
When you speak to him, ask him about his racing, and car designing and founding the company… however it may be best not to inquire about his later life. Having sold his share in the company in 1915, he went back to motor racing with some success, and even dabbled in aircraft engines, before losing everything in the 1929 stock market crash. A string of bad business decsions and tragedy marred the remainder of his life.
Still it’s not often you’ll get a chance to converse with dead automotive legends!
