Ad sparks walk down memory lane for Polish pensioner

09.11.2011

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When Polish pensioner Jerzy Jagodziński saw a Chevrolet advert in the papers commemorating the company's centennial, he immediately recalled the day back in 1930 when his father drove up in a brand new Chevrolet Six Convertible.

Jerzy was seven years old then and the site of the beige-colored car, chrome shining and its V-6 rumbling, started a love relationship with Chevrolet that was to last a lifetime.

Today, Jerzy is a few years short of 90 and he fondly remembers Six. "These were really unforgettable moments."

Born in 1923, Jerzy is nearly as old as Chevrolet, which celebrated its 100^th birthday on November 3, 2011. Memories came flooding back when he saw the advertisement in the Polish press with the new line-up of cars and remembered what he described as the "fantastic, colorful adverts" Chevrolet had in the late 1920s.

At the time, his father owned a mill – powered by Deutz and Winterthur gas engines – and was a motoring enthusiast. His means of transport was a 1913 NSU motorbike, but he also had three trucks which he used at the mill.

However, Jerzy's father decided he wanted a car and the natural choice was the Chevrolet. "My father was very ambitious – once he decided something, it had to be done," Jerzy recalls. The beige car was bought for Jerzy's mother, who drove around in the car – in itself a sensation to see a woman at the wheel in those days – in a scarf, fox coat and fur-peaked cap.

Motoring in the 1930s was not a cheap affair. The Chevrolet Six sold for 10,000 zl, a considerable sum of money. "It was very expensive. Just before the Second World War, the price for a liter of gas was 0.50 zl, which was the same amount an unskilled, unemployed person received per day in benefits. It was also the cost of a dinner of sausages, cabbage and potatoes for a small family," Jerzy explains.

Hard times saw the family sell the Six a year later and settle for a cheaper, used Fiat 503, the car in which Jerzy learned to drive: "I was eight when my father first sat me on his knees and told me to drive. The cars at that time where not difficult to drive, although brakes, clutch and steering were not power assisted," Jerzy says.

In 1939, the family bought a dark green Chevrolet AB. The acceleration of the car was described as "ferocious" by Jerzy, who also recalls exceeding 100 km/h for the first time ever in the AB on one of the very few asphalted roads in Poland.

The car, however, did not stay long in the family. It was commandeered by invading forces soon after the outbreak of war in September 1939. "I cried because I really liked our Chevrolet," says Jerzy. But Jerzy managed to hang onto the papers of the car, even if this earned him a punch in the face when he refused to hand it over. He was eventually allowed to keep it and still has it with him.

The post-war period saw difficult times in Poland, and owing a motorcycle was considered a luxury let alone a car. But Jerzy's relationship with Chevrolets continued, this time with trucks.

"In 1945, I formed part of a school-repair company that dealt with Chevrolet trucks for the Military Automotive Academy in Bydgoszcz (in between Warsaw and Gdansk)," he says. "Those were very good, reliable vehicles with easy to operate gearboxes. Chevrolet was the only manufacturer that used overhead valve engines – those were powerful machines. My job was to keep them operational so I appreciated the fact that Chevrolets were easy to repair."

Andrej Żelazny, Chevrolet Poland Managing Director, said: "I was deeply moved by Jerzy's vivid story. We value every positive memory we receive from our customers. Their stories are of great importance for us."

About Chevrolet

Chevrolet is General Motors' largest global brand with annual sales of about 4 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. It is the fourth biggest global car brand in terms of sales and also one of the fastest growing brands in the world. Chevrolet cars combine passion, bold design and practicality. They provide outstanding value for money. After re-launching the brand in Europe in 2005, Chevrolet more than doubled its sales to over 500,000 in 2008. In 2010, Chevrolet grew its market share in Europe to 2.5 percent, selling 477,194 cars. Chevrolet has a network of more than 2,700 dealers and service points in Europe. The Chevrolet line-up includes the Spark city car, the small Aveo, the compact four-door Cruze, the Captiva SUV and the legendary Corvette sports car. In 2011, Chevrolet is launching seven new cars: the all-new Orlando family van, the new Captiva SUV, the Corvette Grand Sport Coupé, the all-new five-door and four-door Aveo, the five-door Cruze, the Camaro coupé and convertible and the award-winning extended-range Volt electric car. Chevrolet's biggest markets in Europe are Russia, Italy, Germany, Spain, France and Turkey. Established in the U.S. by Swiss émigré Louis Chevrolet in 1911, the brand is celebrating its centenary in 2011. More information on Chevrolet can be found at www.chevroleteurope.com or media.chevroleteurope.com.