Frontenac Motor Corporation was a joint venture ofLouis Chevrolet, Indy 500 winnerJoseph Boyer Jr., Indianapolis car dealer William Small, and Zenith Carburetor president Victor Heftler. Per articles of Incorporation on file in the Michigan State Archives, it was founded in Detroit in December 1915.[1][2] The company focused on building high-performance automobiles that would be used in major AAA events, including theIndianapolis 500.[1]
Gaston Chevrolet won the1920 Indianapolis 500 in a Frontenac, but died a few months later in a late-season race inLos Angeles in November 1920; he had already accumulated enough points to posthumously win the championship.[3] In 1921, Frontenac won theIndy 500 again, this time at the hands ofTommy Milton, and the company entered into a deal withStutz Motor Company to build passenger cars. However, the deal fell through soon after, and Frontenac Motors filed bankruptcy protection in 1923.[1]
There is a private organization of collectors of early automobiles called the Frontenac Motor Corporation which appears to have no connection to the 1915 company.[4]