A Chevy for $490

June 1, 1934, Menasha Record

There's history in the strange price of $490.  Not $500, mind you, but $490.  Back in 1915, Chevrolet attempted to take market share away from the popular Fords of the time.  So they devised a car, and called it the 490 and offered it for $490.  The strategy worked as they were undercutting the price of Fords.  Model T Fords at this time were selling for $495!  This car model lasted until 1922.  In the midst of the Depression, they brought the old campaign out of mothballs and offered Chevys at this price again. By this time, Chevy had already beaten Ford at their own game and had become the number one best selling car brand in the US.  Many of us will remember the Gibson Company down on Main Street, between the fire department and the Bank of Menasha.