The life of Chevrolet as told with talent by a French-speaking man

He was a character straight out of a novel. First came the character; now comes the novel, set to be published in September. Fribourg-based writer Michel Layaz, one of our authors with the most polished prose, is set to publish a magnificent account with Editions Zoé about the life, tenacity, and uniqueness of Louis Chevrolet. Born in Switzerland and raised in Burgundy, he became a mechanic in France and established himself as one of the best race car drivers in the United States in the 1920s, where he suffered many setbacks—even to the point of losing the right to use his own name. But he also left behind a legacy that will ensure future generations have plenty to write about regarding his engines and his stature.

The car is undoubtedly one of the last great symbols of Western-style freedom. If, today, both of these sometimes evoke a sense of nostalgia, it is because they are associated with an era that has more or less passed—an era when progress was a given, when the expansion of the world and of the self served as a compass for everyone, and when enthusiasm, and wonder were not empty words. Yet far beyond the 1960s and 1970s lay the early stages of a world that was still to come. The first great races toward the future—the first great auto races.

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Determination, hard work, and dreams

After his birth in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1878, Louis—as he was known by his first name—left Burgundy, where he had grown up, to move to Paris, where he became a mechanic and began to take on responsibilities—modest, to be sure, but undoubtedly significant in shaping his path. To make something of himself, to achieve success, and to earn money—these were already the aspirations of the young boy he had once been, and they would bring tears of joy—and no doubt of realization—to his family, who knew he would one day leave for the capital:

«I want to make money, too—just like Dad and Alfred!» Louis stood up, his eyes ablaze. When school started again in 1890, just shy of his twelfth birthday, Louis didn’t go back to class. He was offered odd jobs, and he took them. Rumors began to spread: one of the Chevrolet boys worked quickly and well. A saddler was looking for an assistant. Nothing he had to learn daunted Louis. Within a few weeks, he knew how to repair horse collars—and better yet, how to make them. This might have been enough to secure his future, but Louis sensed that the horse was not the best way to stride into the new century.”

Once he had completed his training as a mechanic, the young man—a bit rough around the edges, but above all a dreamer, that is to say, an entrepreneur—soon grew bored. And so he set his sights on the United States—a place you could still call «America» without getting a slap on the wrist. After a few sacrifices, Louis drove the craziest race cars there—Fiat and Buick at the time—until he became one of the best drivers of his era. He was called the «little French speed prodigy.» And his surname went down in history, just as much as his face and his strength of character, both on the track and in his projects.

A man with a certain je ne sais quoi

It is primarily this period that Michel Layaz’s novel covers: his incredible American adventure—a journey spanning several lifetimes, marked by emotional and professional ups and downs, and which ended in Detroit. The Chevrolet saga is set against the backdrop of the rise of large factories, Prohibition, racism, the Great Depression, and the 1929 stock market crash… Neither a true biography nor poetic fiction, the author’s prose perfectly captures the pragmatism tinged with escapism that characterized Louis throughout his life. Kind, loyal, and level-headed, he experienced hundreds of follies, accidents, outbursts of anger, and reckless acts every time he got behind the wheel of a race car or found himself in the automotive world. Too much love for speed; too much determination, too much talent. In short, he was a man from the fringes. An artist.

One chapter, «The Vanderbilt Cup: The Final Curtain Call,» excels at recounting what a race was like back then and what that madman Louis experienced inside his machine. He created high-speed cars, embarking on several industrial ventures, including, of course, the founding of the Chevrolet brand, which he sold for a song to his co-founder Billy Durant (founder of General Motors), even granting him exclusive use of the Chevrolet name. Why on earth did he do that? Michel Layaz’s book—every aspect of which is worth praising—could be summed up by this question, or rather by the explanation of what amounts to the great mystery, or even the great injustice, of this brilliant life, which has brought a tear to our eyes:

«Before falling asleep, or paying his suppliers, does he ever think about that fateful day when he gave up his name so casually? People advise him to assert his rights. To fight back. To hire lawyers. To take on General Motors head-on, the company that has now absorbed the Chevrolet brand. Louis doesn’t care. He’s an inventor, a daredevil, a race car driver—by no means a businessman, much less a vindictive man. Let’s direct our bite elsewhere.»

Write to the author: jonas.follonier@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Chevrolet Media

Michel Layaz
The Lives of Chevrolet
Editions Zoé
2021
128 pages

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