Durant Chevrolet and GM

William Durant was likely the most active business figure in the early history of the automobile . He was born in 1861 in Boston Massachusetts the son of French Canadian parents . He left high school and worked in the lumber yard of his grandfather . About 1885 he formed a partnership and started the Cold Water Road Cart company . It became the Durant- Dorn Carriage Company and by 1900 they were the largest horse drawn carriage company in America .

William Durant was offered the job of general manager of Buick Motor Company in 1904 . He was so successful that he became President of Buick . In 1908 he incorporated General Motors Corporation and sold shares in the company . He sold 12 million dollars in shares in 12 days . Durant’s first move with his GM corporation was to buy Buick Motor Company .

Then Billy bought Olds Motor Vehicle Company .

Next he bought the Oakland Motor Companies in Pontiac Michigan (Oakland became Pontiac) .

1928 Pontiac

Durant then used funds from Buick Motor Company to buy Cadillac Motor

Car Company .

1910 Cadillac

Durant then aquired a number of parts makers and suppliers . One of these companies was A-C Delco , aquired from Albert Champion . (A-C was Albert’s initials) . A-C Delco is still a part of GM today .

In about 1 ½ years Durant aquired interest in over 25 automobile makers .

Some of the companies were , Elmore , the Reliant Motor Truck Company ,

This put a heavy financial burden on GM and led to Durant’s loss of control over GM in 1910.

William Durant had worked with Louis Chevrolet at Buick . They formed a partnership in 1911 and opened Chevrolet Motor Company .

The Chevrolet company was very successful and in 1915 Durant bought out Louis Chevrolet’s share of the company . In 1915 Durant and his Chevrolet Motor Company , bought controlling interest of General Motors Corporation . As it appears William Durant had a very aggressive management style which was likely very scary to financial investors of that time . The same occurred at GM and in 1920 Durant was forced to resign from GM .

Durant Star

Durant started his own company , the Durant Motor Company in 1921.

He aquired Locomobile at a liquidation sale in 1922 .

Mason Truck was also a sub company of Durant Motor Company . There were also dealings with Dort-Frontenac (Louis Chevrolet’s racer company).

The last Durant automobile made in USA , was in 1931due to declining sales of the Great Depression .

The Durant Motor Company plant in Lansing Michigan was bought by General Motors in 1935. Eventually Buick , Oldsmobile and Cadillac were built there .

Durant - Frontenac automobiles still built automobiles in Canada until 1933 .

William Durant’s automotive career ended in 1933 but he did move on to other new ventures .