Chevrolet Series 490
The Chevrolet Series 490 is an early American automobile, made from 1915 to 1922 by Chevrolet. Introduced in June 1915, the Chevrolet 490 was sold for $490. It was an immediate success and established the brand as a big player. The name would not denote the price for long, but it would stay low enough to take a chunk out of the Model T market. The Model T started at $495 at the time. Chevrolet was soon so profitable that Chevrolet owner Billy Durant began buying shares of GM stock with his Chevrolet stock, enough that he was able to take control of GM and merge Chevrolet with it. Electric horns were standard. And by 1921, standard equipment included a speedometer, and ammeter, dome lights, and headlight dimmers.
Models
All 490s were only offered with the Overhead Valve 171-cubic-inch (2.8 L) four cylinder, producing. This would be Chevrolet's main engine until the "Stovebolt" straight six replaced it for 1929.Chevrolet owner Billy Durant was a firm believer in the OHV engine, as that had been the reason for the success of his earlier automobile company, Buick, which he had taken over in 1904, and used to found GM in 1908. He lost control of GM in 1910 due to stockholder and banker issues, and Buick still had the patent for the OHV engine, but GM did not dare to sue Durant. Durant would use Chevrolet to regain control of GM in 1917, which he merged with Chevrolet that year.