Chevrolet Series M

The Chevrolet Series M Copper-Cooled is an American two-door car manufactured by General Motors' Chevrolet division in 1923. The Series M was launched at the New York Auto show in January 1923 as a cheaper alternative to the Chevrolet Superior, the Series M was powered by a new air-cooled engine that was to prove unreliable and the car was to be short-lived.^[1]

Production plans called for 1,000 Series Ms in February, rising to 50,000 a month by October but as the new engine proved difficult and slow to assemble production could not meet the targets, and by May only 759 had been built. About a third of these had to be scrapped, and of the remainder, 500 went to the sales organization but the dealers only managed to sell around 100 to customers. When the Series M reached the dealers and the public, trouble arose. The engine pre-ignited badly and lost power when hot, its problems so extensive that in June 1923, Chevrolet recalled all of the Series Ms and destroyed them.^[2]

Specification

The new 135 cu in (2.2 L) four-cylinder air-cooled engine was designed by Charles Kettering and produced 22 hp (16 kW). It was also planned to power Oakland and Oldsmobile models, but after the Series M failure this was not to happen.

References