Chevrolet’s rivalry with Ford in the low-price market was decades away when it built its first car, the Classic Six, in 1912. Its $2150 price tag was more than three times that of the 1912 Model T and while Ford continued its focus on affordability, Chevy explored the possibilities for several years.

For 1916, according to Early Chevrolet History, it dropped its sixes and introduced the 490. The new car showed that Chevy was defining itself as a competitor to Ford; “490” referred to the car’s price at a time when a Model T cost $390 to $740, according to the Motor Scrapbook. The four-cylinder 490 matched the T nicely and although Chevy added a V-8 model for 1917 and 1918, its real interest remained in fours until 1929.

Chevy Six Begins a Tradition

Ford replaced its long-running Model T with the 1928 Model A, so the 1929 Chevrolet International appeared as a response. Also known as the Chevrolet AC, it went one better than the four-cylinder Model A by offering a six even as it remained competitively priced. For more than two decades, every Chevrolet would be a six. Ford would add a V-8 in 1932 and would offer various fours and sixes, but across the industry, things began to change after World War II.

• Consumer Reports Autos 2005

• Automotive Obd Tester

• Automatic Fill Water

• Suzuki Auto Canada

• Timmins Auto Sales