Frontenac Motor Corporation

Louis Chevrolet c. 1910
Frontenac Motors ad
Frontenac race car before the 1921 Indianapolis 500. Driver Tommy Milton at the wheel, with Barney Oldfield and Louis Chevrolet.

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]

  1. ^ a b c Kramer, Ralph (October 31, 2011). "Louis Chevrolet: His gift was cars, not corporations". Automotive News. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  2. ^ Lorentz, Lisa (September 20, 2013). "Friday Favorite: Driven to the Grave". Historic Indianapolis. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  3. ^ Borroz, Tony (November 25, 2009). "Nov. 25, 1920: Gaston Chevrolet Dies in Race Crash". Wired. Retrieved October 15, 2017.