TEN GREAT FINDS AT THE CANADIAN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM

For more than 60 years, the Canadian Automotive Museum has been celebrated and told the unique stories of the country’s auto industry. It’s located in Oshawa, Ontario — roughly 40 miles east of Toronto — which has long been home to a number of automotive operations, including General Motors Canada.

In fact, Oshawa is where Sam McLaughlin, whose family built carriage and sleighs, started building automobiles around 1907 before eventually partnering with General Motors founder William C. “Billy” Durant to establish GM of Canada. The museum is home several early McLaughlin-Buick models and numerous other home-market vehicles from the fledgling days of the industry.

It also showcases a number of the unique Big Three models from the pre-Auto Pact era, when high tariffs made importing American-made cars impractical. Detroit’s brands therefore set up separate manufacturing facilities, mostly in Ontario, to build vehicles for the Canadian market, often with unique characteristics and distinctive branding.

While on a research field trip recently, we stopped in the museum to explore the exhibits and found it was worth the drive — and below we’ve highlighted our 10 favorite vehicles from the collection. Check out the museum online at www.canadianautomotivemuseum.com or find them on Facebook.

1908 McLaughin Model F

After meeting Billy Durant on a trip to Michigan to purchase another vehicle, Sam McLaughlin struck a licensing deal to build a version of the Buick Model F under the McLaughlin name. Only 154 were built in 1908, but it set in motion a dynamic partnership that would become GM of Canada.

1960 Frontenac

The VW Beetle shook up the North American auto establishment and by the close of the Fifties, manufacturers scrambled for a response. Ford’s was the Falcon, which was the basis for the Frontenac, which was marketed as a separate brand through Canada’s stand-alone Mercury dealers. It lasted only one year and was replaced by the Mercury Comet.

1903 Redpath Messenger

As in the United States during the early-1900s, scores of independent automakers sprung up in Canada, including the Redpath Motor Vehicle Company. Their single-cylinder Messenger runabout was inspired by the French De Dion voiturettes popular in Europe. This one is said to be the world’s only remaining Redpath.

1957 Dodge Regent

In the pre-Auto Pact days, Chrysler Canada mixed and matched Dodge and Plymouth parts to create unique trims and models. The ultimate expression of this strategy was the “Plodge” models — cars with Dodge front ends on Plymouth bodies such as the Dodge Regent. In fact, the Regent was Canada’s most popular car in 1956. This is a ’57 model.

1925 Brooks Steamer

In a former sewing machine factory in Ontario, American financier Oland J. Brooks set up shop to build his steam-powered automobile. After raising significant capital for the venture, mass production never took off and only about 180 of the cars were built. This one is said to be one of eight known survivors.

1937 REO Speedwagon 

As with the other big U.S.-based companies, REO had a manufacturing footprint in Canada. The company stopped building cars in 1936 to concentrate on trucks. This Speedwagon was produced a factory the company operated in Toronto from 1931-57 and is one of a comparatively few Speed Delivery pickups built that year.

1949 Meteor

After World War II, Ford of Canada split its divisions to give the company a larger national footprint. That meant separate Ford and Lincoln-Mercury dealers, but the Mercury dealers needed a low-priced car and the Meteor brand was born. The cars were effectively badge-engineered Fords and this 1949 model represents the first year of production.

1928 Durant D-55

After Billy Durant’s ouster from General Motors, he founded Durant Motors in 1921. The cars initially sold well and Durant quickly established a plant in the town of Leaside, Ontario. The cars were also popular in Canada and there were more than 400 Durant dealers across the country when the branded folded in 1931.

1934 McLaughlin-Buick 66S

The Depression era was tough all around, particularly for luxury auto brands. The McLaughlin-Buick 66S was a response intended to offer “more speed for less money.” The McLaughlin name lasted until 1939, when Buick became the stand-alone brand name. This example was found in a quarry in the Seventies before it was restored.

1975 Bricklin SV-1

It wouldn’t be a collection of Canadian cars without Malcolm Bricklin’s ambitious “Safety Vehicle,” which was built in New Brunswick. It had a fiberglass body, gullwing doors powertrains sourced from AMC or, in the later cars, from Ford. It looked stunning, but construction was notoriously problematic, which was reflected in the SV-1's questionable build quality. Somewhere around 3,000 of the cars were built.

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