Switzerland & Midwest connections: A Swiss Victory at the 1920 Indy 500
Welcome to the newly created History Blog featuring the connections between Switzerland and the Midwest. I am Joerg Oberschmied, Deputy Consul General in Chicago. My interest in history started at an early age and continues to this day. The views expressed are solely mine and I hope you enjoy these journeys through time.
A Swiss Victory at the 1920 Indy 500
The 1920 Indianapolis 500 race was won by Gaston Chevrolet, the youngest of three Swiss brothers with family ties to La Chaux–de-Fonts in the Canton Neuchâtel. Following Louis and Arthur to America, Gaston worked as an automotive mechanic and joined his brothers in auto racing.
Driving a Monroe-Frontenac racecar built by the Chevrolets, Gaston competed in the 1919 Indianapolis 500, finishing in tenth place while brother Louis finished seventh. The 1920 race was over for Arthur before it even began when he crashed his Frontenac during practice. The severity of his injuries ended his driving career.
With its aerodynamic front, the green and white №4 car with Gaston at the wheel started from sixth on the grid and went the entire race without a tire change, a historic first. With 14 laps to go, he took the lead and won the race with a 6-minute margin, averaging 88 miles an hour.
Chevrolet entered seven cars that year, however most had to retire due to mechanical issues. The following year, another Frontenac, this time driven by Tommy Milton, won the race making Chevrolet the first car maker to win consecutive Indy 500 victories.
While competing in the last race of the season that year, 28-year old Gaston Chevrolet was killed instantly when his Frontenac crashed at the Beverly Hills Speedway. Despite the accident he had accumulated enough points to posthumously win the 1920 title of “Speed King of the Year” (the AAA National Champion).
In 1922, Arthur and Louis formed the Chevrolet Brothers Manufacturing Company, which produced a large number of single-seat “Fronty Ford” dirt track racers, stripped-down Ford Model T’s outfitted with a Frontenac head. In 1929 they left the auto business altogether to form the Chevrolet Brothers Aircraft Company with a new engine of their design — Chevrolair. The business was unsuccessful and was eventually taken over by investors. Both brothers returned to automobiles, becoming pioneer leaders in the development of sprint type race cars.
After working for the Stutz Car Company in Indiana, Louis returned to Chevrolet in 1936, then owned by GM, and died in Detroit in 1941 at age 62. Arthur retired to Louisiana in 1942, where he died aged 61 in 1946.
Special Thanks to Billy Dunbar. Visit his website at www.chevroletbrothers.com for additional images of the Chevrolet brothers.
