July 1st, 2024 marks the anniversary of the formation of the union of the British North American provinces in a federation under the name of Canada.
As we honour Canada Day 2024, we’re also taking the opportunity to explore and appreciate Canada's rich automotive heritage.
1. The First Car Driven in Canada - The Ware Steam Carriage
In 1866, Father Georges-Antoine Belcourt, parish priest of Rustico, Prince Edward Island, purchased and imported one of the steam-powered vehicles invented and manufactured by Elijah Ware from Bayonne, New Jersey for $300.
According to Rudy Croken, president of the PEI Antique Car Club, the Ware Steam Carriage - aka the horseless carriage - was shipped to Charlottetown and then delivered to Rustico to help Father Belcourt navigate his parish and attend to his congregation.
This vehicle was described as, “completely open, with no windshield and no roof.”
To quote Farmers’ Bank of Rustico & Doucet House Museums, “The steam chamber was four feet tall and the motor was connected to the wheels by a chain.”
The Ware Steam Carriage, believed to be the first automobile to be driven on Canadian soil, was also the first car to be imported into Canada and the first car to be exported by the United States.
The 150th anniversary of the introduction of the Ware Steam Carriage was celebrated on Dec. 11, 2016, at the Farmers' Bank of Rustico Museum.
2. The First Car Built in Canada - The Steam Pleasure Carriage
In 1867, Henry Seth Taylor, a Canadian jeweller, watchmaker, and inventor from Stanstead, Quebec, designed and built a steam buggy, aka a “steam pleasure carriage” - which he showcased on September 24, 1868, at the Stanstead Agricultural Fair.
The buggy featured a coal-fired boiler designed by Taylor to propel the carriage.
When fully pressurized, the steam powered a piston connected to the rear axle, enabling forward movement. The wheels were fitted with thin strips of metal instead of rubber tires.
Positioned behind the driver, a two-cylinder boiler generated steam in a vertical coal-fired setup, connected to a six-gallon water tank located between the front wheels via rubber hoses.
Despite lacking a dedicated coal box, there was a storage compartment under the driver’s seat for lump coal or wood.
The Steam Buggy could achieve a sustained speed of 20 km/h (12 mph), but it was not equipped with reverse gear or brakes.
The lack of the said features eventually led to the vehicle crashing down a steep hill, thereby marking the first recorded automobile accident in Canada.
After the accident, Taylor’s Steam Buggy was disassembled and kept in his barn until an American antique car collector, Richard M. Stewart purchased it in 1959 with the goal of restoring it to working condition.
Stewart crafted a new boiler and reconstructed the wooden carriage box and wheels. He also undertook the cleaning and reassembly of the cylinders, driving axle, frame, and steering mechanism. He added brakes for safety as well.
In 1968, Stewart wrote an article for Antique Automobile detailing the discovery and restoration of Taylor’s buggy.
Taylor’s Steam Buggy was returned to Canada in 1983. It is currently housed at the Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa and is considered to be Canada’s oldest existing automobile.
3. Canada’s First EV - The Fetherstonhaugh
In 1893, William Joseph Still, a brilliant British engineer, and Frederick Barnard Fetherstonhaugh, a patent lawyer, built the first-ever Canadian electric vehicle.
A maestro of steam and electrical innovations, Still had been dreaming up electric vehicle concepts for years.
In 1893, he took a bold step and pitched his latest brainchild - a lightweight electric battery design - to Fetherstonhaugh of Mimico, Ontario.
Fetherstonhaugh was a long-time collaborator of Still’s and had a keen interest in electric technology; he was instantly captivated.
When Still walked into Fetherstonhaugh's office with his idea, their conversation quickly veered toward their mutual fascination with the horseless carriage.
At the time, there were already two kinds of vehicles on Canadian roads: steam-powered vehicles, and gasoline-powered vehicles, primarily from the United States and Europe.
Steam power, while revolutionary, had its drawbacks—high pressures made it risky, and gasoline engines, with their noisy, smelly, and often unreliable nature, were far from ideal.
Enter electricity: clean, quiet, and already powering the city's trams. It seemed like the perfect solution.
Without hesitation, Fetherstonhaugh commissioned Still to craft a sleek, whisper-quiet electric car that would redefine commuting in style and comfort. This also made Fetherstonhaugh the first Canadian to have a car custom-built.
Still worked on designing an electric motor and a battery system that would power their dream car. Once the designs were ready, they turned to a reputable firm, Dixon's Carriage Works in downtown Toronto, to build the vehicle's body.
Still’s electric motor design was patented in Canada in 1893, and patented in the U.S. in 1894. It weighed less than 350 kilos, making it lighter than most competitors.
Its approximately 4 horsepower DC motor, powered by 12 lead-acid batteries could propel the carriage to a respectable speed of 25 km/h.
The batteries could last anywhere from one to five hours and were conveniently rechargeable via the city's tramway power lines.
Additionally, Fetherstonhaugh also happened to reside in one of the first houses in Toronto equipped with electricity so he could also easily charge the car at home.
The vehicle garnered nationwide attention, getting showcased at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in 1893 and 1906, and was demonstrated publicly in 1896. This sparked interest in electric cars in Toronto, leading to even more commissions for Still.
Meanwhile, Fetherstonhaugh adored the car, driving it for the next 15 years and making various improvements along the way. The original model had a wagon-like steering mechanism, but later modifications included a fixed axle, steering knuckles on each wheel, and added fenders to deflect splashes.
Sadly, despite its pioneering role in automotive history, the Fetherstonhaugh car's history faded after 1912 and its ultimate fate remains a mystery.
4. Canada’s First Gasoline-Powered Automobile - The Fossmobile
In 1897, George Foote Foss, a skilled mechanic, electrician, blacksmith, and bicycle repairman from Sherbrooke, Quebec, invented the first Canadian gasoline-powered automobile - the Fossmobile.
It all started with a less-than-pleasant ride in an electric car in Boston in 1896, an experience that sparked Foss’ idea of building a better motor car.
Foss decided on using gasoline to power his vehicle because he found that the batteries in the electric cars in Boston, as well as those in his boat, didn’t last long enough.
And so he taught himself to craft his own internal combustion engine by referring to diagrams from a Scientific American issue.
“He had a blast furnace in his machine shop so he could cast it, and we know he used Scientific American (magazine) to get ideas of how combustion engines were made,”
Says Foss’ grandson Ronald Foss, who later created a replica of the Fossmobile.
In 1897, the Fossmobile, Canada’s inaugural gasoline-powered automobile, made its first appearance on Sherbrooke’s rolling streets.
Sporting a gutsy single-cylinder engine tucked under its front hood, the Fossmobile boasted two forward gears (but alas, no reverse) and a slick shifter on the steering tiller.
Foss did not bother with traditional wheel brakes, but used clever gear shifting to slow down instead.
The Fossmobile garnered attention far and wide, attracting interest not just from local Canadian investors but also from none other than Henry Ford himself, as told in an issue of The Miami News in 1962. Foss, however, declined all offers, citing his own lack of experience in large-scale manufacturing.
In 1902, Foss sold his beloved creation for a modest $75 to a buyer in Montreal, and from there, the original Fossmobile vanished into obscurity.
In 2018, Ronald Foss, established Fossmobile Enterprises to build connections, encourage cooperation, and share historical artifacts, with the goal of paying tribute to his grandfather’s work.
Along with automotive historians and potential experts in "Vintage Automobile Restoration," Ronald Foss endeavored to reverse engineer the original Fossmobile as faithfully as possible.
With no original blueprints to rely on, they meticulously studied every detail of scarce vintage photographs of the Fossmobile. This project was finally completed after three years.
Today, the Fossmobile replica rests in the Canadian Automotive Museum in Oshawa, Ontario, donated in the late autumn of 2022 by the Foss family to endure as a testament to George Foote Foss’s pioneering spirit and legacy in Canadian automotive history.
The Canadian Automotive Museum has also been described as Canada’s “most significant collection of Canadian cars.”
5. The First Canadian Sports Car - The Manic GT
Between 1970 and 1971, the Manic GT was built by Montreal-born Jacques About. Working as a public relations officer with Renault Canada in the sixties, he was tasked to survey the Canadian market for the Alpine 110, a specialized sports car based on Renault components.
Though he was able to garner positive feedback, Renault decided not to pursue this venture. About, however, saw the potential for a lightweight sports car built for Canadians, by Canadians.
About soon founded L’Ecurie Manic Inc., named after the Manicouagan River in Quebec. In order to gain credibility, the company acquired a license to build a French Formula C racing car and modified it to set a lap record at St. Jovite, Quebec.
This success attracted investors, including a supermarket chain, Bombardier, and the Quebec Pension Fund.
Armed with $1.5 million in funding, Manic opened a 60,000-square-foot factory in Granby, Quebec. Frenchman Serge Soumille was contracted to design the car, resulting in a vehicle that resembled a mix of a Lotus Europa and a Saab Sonnet.
The Manic GT was built on the rear-engined Renault R8 sedan’s chassis, with a fiberglass-reinforced plastic body. The lightweight, low-slung car was powered by one of three Renault engines, with outputs of 65, 80, or 105 horsepower.
In 1969, the Manic GT debuted at the Montreal Auto Show to a positive reception. However, production soon faltered due to supply issues with parts from France. Despite efforts to source parts locally and internationally, only 160 cars were built before the factory closed in May 1970.
Though its production may have been short-lived, the Manic GT remains a notable attempt at Canadian automotive innovation.
Sources:
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