The History Of General Motors

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the car back and
forth in front of Durant's house that evening, and the next morning he
returned. Impressed by Marr's persistence, Durant this time agreed to go
for a ride. Only then did Durant realize that Marr wasn't trying to sell
him the car--he was trying to sell him the company.

Durant was never one to pass up a business opportunity--he collected
companies the way somebody's pack-rat uncle might collect broken lawn
mowers and obscure gadgets. He borrowed a Buick for three months, tested it
exhaustively, and then took over the company and set it back on its feet.
Although he had no engineering experience, within three years Durant had
raised annual production from 37 cars to 8,000.

Part of the explosion in production came from the McLaughlin Motor Car
Company in Ontario, which began designing and building cars with Buick
engines in 1907.

1909 - 1918: GM'S PARTS IN PLACE

GM founder Billy Durant's prediction that people would someday buy a half-
million motor cars a year ...

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people anxious to leave the expiring wagon and buggy industry. A
former Buick racing driver, Swiss-born Louis Chevrolet, was his designer.
By 1916, Durant was able to trade Chevrolet for a majority share of GM
stock, putting himself back in the driver's seat at the company he had
founded.

By its 10th anniversary, GM had changed from a holding company to an
operating company, with all divisions but Saturn already in place. In the
same year, GM also incorporated General Motors of Canada Limited.

1919: POSTWAR BUYING SPREES

During World War I, the auto industry halved domestic production in favor
of an outpouring of weaponry and military vehicles. The new Cadillac V-8
became the ...

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