Hot on the heels of our recent 1916 International Harvester Model E Pickup offering, comes this car from the same collection in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where both great-grandfather and grandfather of the seller obviously suffered from the incurable condition of oldcar-itis. On offer here on eBay is grandpa’s 1920 Chevrolet 490 Touring, in a state of disassembly, but certainly ready to come together to put yet another early American automobile back on the road. This is an important and noble task that falls to the next owner. I only wish there was a way to persuade young people to put down the phone and pick up a wrench. I can’t think of a better way to learn — not just a skill, but some history, too, about how America became the America we know today. Billy Durant started Chevrolet and his moxie, drive, and smarts helped him found the powerhouse General Motors. He is an underrated hero and a shining example of the power of the individual to change the world.

The Chevrolet 490 Touring, built between 1915 and 1922, featured an overhead valve 4-cylinder engine making 24HP. The seller says the car on offer ran “40 years ago or so (post-rebuild) and was put away well – should not take much to get running.” In the ensuing years, not just the engine but the drivetrain and chassis have been rebuilt so that’s one thing to take off your to-do list. Personally, I think it would be important to hear it running, but for the right price, I think it’s possible to take the seller’s word for it, particularly if grandpa rebuilt the engine. Chances are he did the job right.

The seller says the car is full of parts, fenders, etc. but adds the caveat: “This is a project and no guarantees that all parts are there.” Fair enough. I’m pretty certain with enough sleuthing anything that might be missing could be sourced. Sales numbers were pretty healthy in its seven-year production (if you put any stock in the wikipedia entry); 150,226 units in 1920 alone. Total approximate production run, again unverified, was over 750,000 units. So there are probably parts out there.

The 490 was Durant’s answer to Ford’s Model T; it was also the cost of the car upon its introduction in 1915. We always think of this automotive era as being dominated by the T and, while that was largely true, the era also gave birth to some amazing innovators and capitalists who not only helped put America on wheels, but established our nation as the transportation powerhouse of the world. In the case of the dismantled Chevrolet offered here, there will be some sweat, tears, and heartache as you journey on the path to a rebuild. But think of what you’ll be preserving! And, if that journey includes a young person, you’ll be personally contributing to keeping the American spirit alive.