- An Educational Website -
Frontenac Motor Company
1915 - 1924
The Frontenac Motor Company was established in late 1915 for the sole purpose of engineering, building, and racing high performance automobiles. Following the team’s victory at the 1921 Indy 500, a group of investors affiliated with the Stutz Company approached Louis Chevrolet with the idea of producing a touring car under the Frontenac name. A new Frontenac Corporation was set up in the State of Delaware, and Louis started building a prototype passenger car. Less than a year later Allan A. Ryan, (the mogul behind the Stutz investment group), was embroiled in a huge Wall Street scandal. The Delaware Corporation collapsed, and Louis was stuck with all the developmental costs of the prototype car. Louis had no choice but to seek bankruptcy protection, and the original Frontenac Motor Company folded.
Shortly thereafter, a group of Chicago business men formed yet another Frontenac company, and Louis Chevrolet was involved in designing a 2nd prototype car. This time the Frontenac featured the Argyll single sleeve valve engine, (the same power plant which was later used in the da Vinci project). The new company was not able to sufficiently raise capital, and never got past the prototype stage. The Frontenac name then faded into obscurity. The following documents pertain to both the racing enterprise, and passenger car businesses.
12/17/15 - Detroit, Michigan
Louis Chevrolet organizes the
Frontenac Motor Company
(Archives of Michigan)
7/12/17 - Detroit, Michigan
Schematic drawing of 300 cubic inch
Frontenac racing engine
(The Automobile and Trade Journal)
12/01/20 - Indianapolis, Indiana
Louis Chevrolet & C.W. Van Ranst
write technical paper on 183 Frontenac.
Part 1 of 4
(Society of Automotive Engineers)
12/01/20 - Indianapolis, Indiana
Louis Chevrolet & C.W. Van Ranst
write technical paper on 183 Frontenac.
Part 2 of 4
(Society of Automotive Engineers)
12/01/20 - Indianapolis, Indiana
Louis Chevrolet & C.W. Van Ranst
write technical paper on 183 Frontenac.
Part 3 of 4
(Society of Automotive Engineers)
12/01/20 - Indianapolis, Indiana
Louis Chevrolet & C.W. Van Ranst
write technical paper on 183 Frontenac.
Part 4 of 4
(Society of Automotive Engineers)
7/21/21 - Indianapolis, Indiana
Bennett Hill writes to Alton Soules about
tuning & race set up on Frontenac
(Museum of American Speed)
11/08/21 - Indianapolis, Indiana
Louis Chevrolet solicits Tommy Milton
for the upcoming 1922 racing season
(Racemaker Press)
12/23/21 - Indianapolis, Indiana
Louis Chevrolet writes to garage about
prospective Frontenac dealership
(ebay Auction)
December 1921 - Indianapolis, Indiana
Louis Chevrolet writes Fred Wilson about forthcoming Frontenac car
(ebay Auction)
1/10/22 - Indianapolis, Indiana
Louis Chevrolet writes to garage about
upcoming New York Auto Show
(ebay Auction)
1/10/22 - Indianapolis, Indiana
Louis Chevrolet writes to garage about
Frontenac dealership application
(ebay Auction)
January 1922 - Indianapolis, Indiana
Frontenac passenger car catalog is
distributed at various cars shows
(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
January 1922 - Indianapolis, Indiana
Frontenac passenger car catalog is
distributed at various cars shows
(Kem Robertson Collection)
3/27/22 - Indianapolis, Indiana
John G. Holtz write to prospective
dealer about Frontenac automobile
(Kem Robertson Collection)
5/31/22 - Indianapolis, Indiana
Advertisement for new Frontenac which appeared in the Indy 500 program
(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
2/24/23 - Indianapolis, Indiana
Louis Chevrolet writes David Rodger
about bearing performance
(Muzzy-Lyon Advertisement)
4/14/23 - Indianapolis, Indiana
Frontenac Motor Co. files for
bankruptcy protection from creditors
(National Archives)
8/14/23 - Chicago, Illinois
Group of Chicago businessmen form new Frontenac company in Delaware
(Delaware State Archives)
Circa 1923 - Indianapolis, Indiana
Stock prospectus for new Frontenac Co.
Louis Chevrolet has a "clean" liver
(Billy Dunbar Collection)
3/03/24 - Indianapolis, Indiana
Frontenac Motors Corp stock certificate
signed by E.L. Jacoby
(Billy Dunbar Collection)