The Chevrolet Master and Master Deluxe are American passenger vehicles manufactured by

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ou ...

between 1933 and 1942 to replace the 1933 Master Eagle. It was the more expensive model in the Chevrolet range at this time, with the Standard Mercury providing an affordable product between 1933 and 1937. Starting with this generation, all GM cars shared a corporate appearance as a result of the Art and Color Section headed by

Harley Earl Harley Jarvis Earl (November 22, 1893 – April 10, 1969) was an American automotive designer and business executive. He was the initial designated head of design at General Motors, later becoming vice president, the first top executive ever ...

. From 1940 a more expensive version based on the Master Deluxe was launched called the Special Deluxe. The updated corporate appearance introduced a concealed radiator behind a façade with a grille. This was the last Chevrolet that was exported to Japan in knock down kits and assembled at the company's factory in Osaka, Japan before the factory was appropriated by the Imperial Japanese Government. When Toyota decided to develop their own sedan called the Toyota AA, a locally manufactured Master was disassembled and examined to determine how Toyota should engineer their own cars. In May 1925 the Chevrolet Export Boxing plant at

Bloomfield, New Jersey Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 53,105. It surrounds the Bloomfield Green Historic District. History The initial patent for the land that w ...

was repurposed from a previous owner where

Knock-down kit A knock-down kit (also knockdown kit, knocked-down kit, or simply knockdown or KD) is a collection of parts required to assemble a product. The parts are typically manufactured in one country or region, then exported to another country or region ...

s for Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac passenger cars, and both Chevrolet and G. M. C. truck parts are crated and shipped by railroad to the docks at

Weehawken, New Jersey Weehawken is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located largely on the Hudson Palisades overlooking the Hudson River. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 17,197.

for overseas GM assembly factories.

Model years

The Master name was used on a number of different versions, and the Series name changed each year. A four door open top convertible was no longer offered starting in 1933.

1933 (Series CA)

The 1933 Series CA began production as the "Eagle", but was renamed "Master" midway through the model year when the 1933 Standard model (Series CC) was introduced. Several changes were made to the Eagle when the name was changed to Master. The easiest to distinguishing feature is the post between the front door wing windows and the roll down windows: on the Eagle the chrome divider between these two windows goes down as the window goes down, whereas on the Master this divider remains fixed and does not go down with the window.

1934 (Series DA)

The Series DA Master offered an increased wheelbase of . This increased the difference with the cheaper Standard wheelbase to . Powered by an upgraded version of the "Stovebolt" six-cylinder engine, now producing . The independent front suspension was something GM called " Knee-Action" using

trailing arm A (semi) trailing-arm suspension, sometimes referred to as (semi) trailing-link is a vehicle axle or wheel suspension design in which one or more horizontal arms (or "links"), perpendicular to and forward of the axle, are connecting the axle or ...

s and coil springs.

1935 (Series EA and ED)

The Master underwent a redesign, utilising a new "Turret Top" construction method. This consisted of steel used entirely in the body construction to include the roof and wood was no longer used in bodywork or chassis construction.

1936 (Series FA and FD)

All Chevrolet took on an upgraded streamlined appearance as Chevrolet sought to take on a new and modern appearance called

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...

, and the bodies were shared with the Pontiac Deluxe..

1937 (Series GA and GB)

The Master now replaced the lower priced

Standard Six The Standard Six was an American automobile manufactured in St. Louis, Missouri by the St. Louis Car Company from 1909 until 1910. The company initially built the French Mors cars under license as the American Mors from 1906 to 1909. In 1910 ...

, while the higher equipment Master Deluxe edged the range upwards. While external differentiation was limited to trim and equipment, the Master Deluxe introduced

independent front suspension Independent suspension is any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically (i.e. reacting to a bump on the road) independently of the others. This is contrasted with a beam axle or deDion axle system in ...

while the Master retained a beam front axle on leaf springs.

1938 (series HA and HB)

The Master (HB) and Master Deluxe (HA) sold well, with 162,430 and 302,728 respectively.

1939 (series JA and JB)

The Master returned for 1939. The Master Deluxe was now the JA, while the base model was renamed the Master 85 (JB). A station wagon was first offered, though its construction had been contracted to Mid States Body Corp.

1940 (series KA and KB)

The Master continued to be available in Master 85 (KB) as well as the more upscale "Master Deluxe" model (KA). The even better equipped "Special Deluxe" also appeared for the 1940 model year. File:1933 Chevrolet CA sedan (6712944261).jpg, 1933 Chevrolet CA sedan File:1934 Chevrolet (18503668532).jpg, 1934 Master Sedan File:1935 Chevrolet Standard EC 4-Door Sedan KRZ847.jpg, 1935 Master Sedan File:1936 Chevrolet 4-Door Touring Sedan HCE204jpg.jpg, 1936 Chevrolet sedan File:1937 Master De Luxe Chevrolet Sedan, Chevrolet dealers since 1916, proven, reliable, and... (NBY 6129).jpg, 1937 Master Deluxe File:1938 Chevrolet Coach HDM217.jpg, 1938 Chevrolet Master Deluxe sedan File:1939 Chevrolet Master 85 (8775958833).jpg, 1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe Town Sedan File:1941 Chevrolet Master Deluxe Coupe.jpg, 1941 Chevrolet Master Deluxe Coupe

Trucks and buses

This was the last series of trucks and medium-duty vehicles that shared an appearance with Chevrolet passenger coupes and sedans, and were replaced with the AK Series trucks. The first truck body style was introduced in 1918 as the

Chevrolet Series 490 The Chevrolet Series 490 (or Four-Ninety) is an early American automobile, made from 1915 to 1922 by Chevrolet. Introduced in June 1915, the 490 sold for $490 ($ in dollars ). Chevrolet 490 was an immediate success and established the brand as ...

using the same approach used by the

Ford Model TT The Ford Model TT is a truck made by Ford. It was based on the Ford Model T, but with a longer wheelbase, and a heavier frame and rear axle, giving it a rating of . Production When the first three units were produced in 1917, the Model TT was s ...

. Each year a Chevrolet Series was introduced, the chassis was also available with a cargo bed body style. File:Chevrolet CG 1937.jpg, 1937 Chevrolet CG chassis-cowl with third-party van body. File:1940 GMC Truck.JPG, 1940 GMC Truck with factory cab. File:193X Chevrolet Pickup.jpg, 1930s Chevrolet Commercial truck with third-party cab. File:1937 Chevrolet Carryall Suburban (front).jpg, Chevrolet Carryall Suburban File:Chevrolet QD z roku 1939.jpg, 1939 Chevrolet bus

References

External links

Masters history at secondchancegarage.com

GM Heritage Center 1938 Chevrolet Master
{{General Motors brands 1940s cars

Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

Cars introduced in 1934 Sedans