1930 Chevrolet Universal Coupe, 5AD 🇺🇸

Little is known of the history of this car. It was purchased in the Flea Market of the Antique Automobile Club of America fall national meet in Hershey, PA in October 2021. The car required little to make it a reliable driving machine.

The Universal Coupe was the lowest priced closed body style available from Chevrolet in 1930. With the impact of the Great Depression starting to hit hard, buyers wanted low prices and value for their hard earned dollars. 

Company
General Motors

Make
Chevrolet

Model
Universal 5AD

Body Style
Coupe, 2-dr,  3-pass

Body Manufacture
Fisher Body

Model year
1930

Wheelbase
107 inches

Length
156 inches

Engine
Inline-6, OHV, 194 cubic inches

Horsepower
50 hp @   2600 rpm

Transmission
3-speed manual

Original Base Price
$ 565

Brand Production
864,243

This Car Production
100,373

May 28, 1930 Chevrolet produced their seven- millionth car since the company's founding in 1912.  Chevrolet finally surpassed Ford in yearly production and sales in 1927 and the two would occupy either  the #1 or  #2 spots on the list into the 1980s.

For 1930, Chevrolet didn’t stray too far from the car that finally won them the top spot in sales. New features for the model year included a slanted non-glare windshield, 3 spoke steering wheel, a gas gauge now on the dashboard, and round gauges. Otherwise, the cars strongly resembled the product lines back to 1925.

Under the hood remained the same 194 cubic inch, inline-six as 1928, now fitted with a revised manifold. The chassis also remained largely unchanged with the exception of being fitted with all new hydraulic shock absorbers.

Despite a passing resemblance, the Ford model A, Introduced in fall 1927, unseated Chevrolet from the top selling spot in 1929 and extended its lead in 1930. Ford produced and sold nearly twice as many cars as Chevrolet for the model year.  The Chevrolet was getting old both in styling and engineering, customers were flocking to the Ford instead.