The 490 was a car made by Chevrolet between 1916 and 1922, it was Chevrolet's entry model.
The car was much cheaper than the other Chevrolet models of the time. The 490 was a 1-door roadster or 3-door touring car (The driver's door was missing in each case). Like the more expensive Series H the 490 had a four-cylinder engine with overhead valves, a capacity of 2802cc and an output of 24bhp (17.6 kW). The engine power was transmitted through a cone clutch and a three-speed manual gearbox to the rear wheels. The rear wheels were fitted with external band brakes. With its low retail price, the 490 was able to compete with the Ford Model T.
In 1917 the two models were joined by an "all-weather tourer" in which the fabric roof was replaced with a hard top. The windshields were now tilted by 15° back. The following year a sedan with three doors joined the lineup. In 1919 a 2-door coupe also joined the list of models available.
In the 1920 model year, a few changes were made to the 490. The cars had curved lines in the area of the bulkhead in the fashionable torpedo style and engine power increased to 26bhp (19 kW). 1921 was the car available as a bare chassis, in 1922 as an 2-door car. In this last year of production the price for the four-door sedan was $875.
In six years 627,619 cars had been made. In 1923, the model was succeeded by the Superior.