History Of A Legend Every sixteenth car on the planet is now a Chevrolet. It's an unbelievably far cry from the sleepy French town where - if you believe the legend - in 1896 or 1897, the extraordinary man who gave Chevrolet its name was first 'discovered' in a French bicycle workshop by a member of one of America's richest families. The son of a clockmaker from La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland, Louis's career began at the age of 11 in a bicycle repair shop where he poured his father's principles of precision engineering into the development of fast bikes. Racing the results brought prize money to help feed his six brothers and sisters. Chevrolet's powerful pedalling skills ensured full platters. When, in 1896 or 1897, touring American property magnate Vanderbilt wandered into the shop needing repairs to his motorised tricycle, Louis fixed it. An impressed Vanderbilt urged him to make his fortune in America. After training with Darracq in Paris and spending time in Canada as a driver and mechanic, Chevrolet finally realised the dream in 1901 by getting a job at De Dion-Bouton's New York workshops. Another four years' hard graft designing engines finally paid off with a stunning victory and a new world record in his first serious motor race in 1905. In the same year he married his sweetheart and began a 15-year winning streak on USA racetracks that would turn him into a full-on hero. Chevrolet's racing career took off properly in 1907 at the wheel of a Buick Bug. Buick had been acquired by the motoring entrepreneur William Crapo (yes, really) Durant and turned into a hugely successful marque. By 1908 Buick was part of Durant's General Company of New Jersey - later to become General Motors. It didn't take long for Louis Chevrolet, the Schumacher of his day, to come to Durant's attention. On November 3 1911 the two men joined forces to create the Chevrolet Motor Car Company - and a legend was born. Durant's vision of the future was shown to be correct as his newly acquired Chevrolet company went from strength to strength. The Chevrolet brand quickly became synonymous with quality, value, reliability and affordability - a fact underlined by Chevrolet's toppling of Ford's Model T from its No 1 sales position, and its domination of the US car sales charts for 40 years straight, from 1936 to 1976. Now, Chevrolet is moving into the 21st century (and into the UK) with a sharp, brilliantly engineered range of cars designed to answer not just the practical demands of today's motorists, but also some of the more emotional ones. The new range of small and medium sized, economical cars launched on February 1st. Please take your time to browse the site to learn about the Chevrolet that suits you best. Why Buy A New Chevrolet? There are a number of factors to consider when buying a brand new car, beyond the obvious elements like price, looks and handling. The initial retail price of your new car is important, but the total cost of ownership also needs to be taken into account. Make the wrong decision regarding finance deals, for example, and it could cost you thousands of pounds over the life of your new car. We've pulled out the stops to make our cars look good and drive well - but we've also tried to ensure they offer long-term value. Here are five good reasons to make your new car a Chevrolet: 1) Fixed Price Servicing Anyone buying one of our new cars has the option of joining Chevrolet Plus. For a one-off payment of £199, your service costs are covered for 3 years or 30,000 miles, whichever comes first, whilst for £499 you're covered for 3 years or 60,000 miles. So you get peace of mind, as well as a saving of hundreds of £'s on standard Chevrolet service costs. 2) Excellent finance offers Key models in the Chevrolet range come with our incredible 3 and Easy finance package. This allows you to pay for your new Chevrolet in three simple stages over two years, without incurring any interest charges. 3) Low cost of ownership Insurance and fuel costs can add a packet to your annual running bill, but you can minimise these. The new Chevrolet Matiz, for example, is in the lowest group insurance bracket. It also has relatively low exhaust emissions, meaning road tax is just £105 a year. 4) Safe and practical - It's a Chevrolet Family safety is a key concern when buying a new car. All new Chevrolets come with special features that ensure you and your family get a safe ride, as well as a smooth one. All new cars come with at least two airbags, and child locks are standard on the rear doors. And the new Chevrolet Matiz, Chevrolet Kalos and Chevrolet Lacetti all come with ISOFIX fittings. These allow an ISOFIX (International Standards Organisation FIX) seat to be fitted in the rear - the safest place for the child. It's simple to do and leaves you in no doubt about whether it's fitted properly. Either it's firmly located or it's not located at all. 5) It's a Chevrolet And the fifth good reason to buy a Chevrolet is... it's a Chevrolet. In other words, you're buying from a trusted global brand; part of the General Motors group. We've been making cars since 1911, so we should know what we're doing by now. Safe, trusted, great value; no wonder that more and more people are deciding to make their new car a Chevrolet. Call your retailer today on 01506 857857 - ask for Jim McIver.