The Royal Mail models H-2 (1914–15) and H-2½ (1916), the Amesbury Special model H-3 (1915) and the Baby Grand model H-4 (1914–16) were

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

cars made 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 ...

. It was replaced by the

Chevrolet Series F The Chevrolet Series F of 1917 was an American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet before they became a division of General Motors. The successor of the Series H, it had a longer wheelbase and other improvements, but kept the same engine. It ...

in 1917.

Beginning

The Baby Grand was one of the first automobiles made by Chevrolet under W.C. Durant, GM's founder. It was part of his idea to build a car to compete with the very popular and affordable

Ford Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...

. When it first came out, it was priced at US$875 ($ in dollars ) as a four-door, 5-passenger touring car (a 1914 Model T touring was US$500 ($ in dollars )). A speedometer was standard. One advantage over a Model T Ford was that a Baby Grand could get an electric starter (the Model T did not get them until 1919).

Models

In 1914 the Series H debuted with the H-2 Royal Mail Roadster and the H-4 5-seater Baby Grand Touring model, both with a wheelbase. In 1915, all Series H models got a longer wheelbase and larger brakes, and an electric starter was now standard. Also for 1915 Chevrolet introduced the Amesbury Special model H-3, a 3-seat roadster (similar to the Royal Mail) that sold for $985. It came painted in French grey with green patent leather interior. The standard wheels were the plain wooden spoke type, but most of the cars sold had the optional Houk wire wheels which cost $125 extra and were painted green to match the interior. Sadly due to poor sales this model was dropped after only one year. In 1916, the Royal Mail model H-2½ was introduced which was the first integral trunk for Chevrolet with gas tank in the rear between the frame rails. The Series H models were moved upmarket when the $490

Chevrolet 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 a ...

was introduced in June 1915 to compete directly with the Ford Model T. Total Chevrolet production for 1913 was 5,987.

References

{{Vintage-auto-stub Series H