Manufacturer catalog

Chevrolet

Chevrolet is General Motors' mass-market vehicle division and a historic U.S. producer of military trucks and armored cars. Its catalog relevance comes from World War II production by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors, especially the T17E1/Staghound armored-car family and 1.5-ton G506 military truck series.

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Founded in 1911 by William C. Durant and Louis Chevrolet, Chevrolet became part of General Motors in 1918 and developed into GM's high-volume passenger-car and truck marque. During World War II, civilian automobile production at GM stopped while divisions including Chevrolet shifted to military vehicles, components, and other war materiel.

Chevrolet's wartime vehicle work was part of GM's wider industrial mobilization rather than a standalone defense company. GM Defense's official history notes that GM plants were converted to defense production, with GMC and Chevrolet together building more than 850,000 trucks for military use. Chevrolet-specific catalog links should therefore be read as historical production attributions for Chevrolet-built systems, not as claims about Chevrolet's present commercial product line.

Military truck productionWorld War II armored-car productionAutomotive manufacturingCommercial and passenger vehicles

Notable Systems

Staghound Mk I, 4x4 reconnaissance armored car, Armored Vehicles

Staghound Mk I / T17E1

4x4 reconnaissance armored car

Chevrolet designed and produced the 4x4 T17E1 armored car for British use; British service named the 37 mm gun-armed vehicle Staghound Mk I.

Sources: Medium Armored Car T17E1 Staghound I - AFV Database, When Chevy Went to War
Chevrolet G506, 1.5-ton 4x4 military truck series, Support Equipment

Chevrolet G506

1.5-ton 4x4 military truck series

Chevrolet's G506/G7100-series 1.5-ton 4x4 trucks served as a major U.S. Army and Allied support-vehicle family in World War II.

Sources: History | GM Defense, When Chevy Went to War, Chevrolet G506 - Wikipedia

Manufacturer History

  1. Chevrolet founded

    GM's Durant history says William C. Durant and Louis Chevrolet founded Chevrolet Motor Company in 1911, naming the company after Chevrolet.

    Sources: GM Founder William Durant's Story

  2. Chevrolet integrated into General Motors

    GM's Chevrolet brand history states that Durant bought the Chevrolet Motor Company assets in May 1918 and integrated the brand into General Motors.

    Sources: Chevrolet - the Story of a Global Brand

  3. GM civilian automobile production stops for wartime conversion

    GM Defense states that no GM passenger cars for civilian use left a GM assembly line from February 10, 1942, to September 9, 1945, as plants converted to defense goods.

    Sources: History | GM Defense

  4. T17E1 Staghound production begins

    AFV Database lists October 1942 as the first acceptance month for Chevrolet's T17E1 armored car, which Britain named Staghound I.

    Sources: Medium Armored Car T17E1 Staghound I - AFV Database

  5. T17E2 Staghound AA branch enters production

    AFV Database lists October 1943 as the start of T17E2 Staghound AA production, the anti-aircraft branch of Chevrolet's Staghound armored-car family.

    Sources: Armored Car T17E2 Staghound AA - AFV Database

Predecessors
Chevrolet Motor Car Company

Chevrolet is an active civilian automotive brand. The defense context on this page is historical and centers on Chevrolet Motor Division production inside General Motors during World War II.

Manufacturer Sources

  • General Motors official websitePublisher: General Motors | Note: Supports Chevrolet as one of GM's current brands and GM's Detroit headquarters. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • GM Founder William Durant's StoryPublisher: General Motors | Note: Supports Chevrolet's 1911 founding by Durant and Louis Chevrolet. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Chevrolet - the Story of a Global BrandPublisher: General Motors | Note: GM-published Chevrolet history supporting the brand's 1911 founding, 1918 integration into GM, and General Motors global headquarters in Detroit. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • History | GM DefensePublisher: GM Defense | Note: Official GM Defense history supporting GM wartime conversion and Chevrolet/GMC military truck production context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • When Chevy Went to WarPublisher: Military Trader | Note: Supports Chevrolet's World War II wartime production context and G7107/G506 truck details. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Medium Armored Car T17E1 Staghound I - AFV DatabasePublisher: AFV Database | Note: Supports Chevrolet production of the T17E1 Staghound I and production/technical context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Armored Car T17E2 Staghound AA - AFV DatabasePublisher: AFV Database | Note: Supports the T17E2 Staghound AA production branch and Chevrolet/Staghound family context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Chevrolet G506 - WikipediaPublisher: Wikipedia | Note: Reference summary used for Chevrolet G506 production period, model family, specifications, and production totals. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Armored Vehicles

Troop carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, and protected mobility.

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Category

Support Equipment

Transport, logistics, recovery, command, engineering, and other enabling equipment.

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