To fully appreciate the profound impact the small block V8 engine had on the success of Chevrolet, it helps to know a bit of Chevrolet history. In its 1955 debut in the Bel Air and Corvette, the small block Chevrolet V8 set the tone for many achievements to come for Chevrolet and General Motors and also set a standard for the automotive industry as a whole. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and rediscover the people and technology that laid the groundwork for the now iconic small block Chevy.

On November 2, 1911, Louis Chevrolet, Edwin R. Campbell and William H. Little signed articles of association for Chevrolet Motor Company to “design, manufacture, buy, sell and deal in motors and motor vehicles and the various parts thereof and accessories thereto”. The notarized documents were recorded the following day and the incorporation of Chevrolet Motor Company in Detroit, Michigan was official. November 3, 1911 was the official beginning of Chevrolet but the rather intriguing backstory began years before.

Louis Joseph Chevrolet was born Christmas day 1878 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a French speaking city in Switzerland. One of eight children to Joseph Felicien Chevrolet and Marie Anne Angeline Mahon, Louis spent his early childhood in the village of Bonfol, Switzerland. When Louis was nine, his family moved to Beaune, France where his father owned a watch store.

The following timeline highlights notable events in the history of Chevrolet and General Motors.

 

 

A discussion of Chevrolet history would be incomplete without mentioning the engines that came before the small block V8. The following table lists the Chevrolet engines produced before the introduction of the small block V8 in 1955.

 

 

1953-1955 Chevrolet inline six brochures here…