In Search of the Canadian Car
1903 Le Roy is a copy of the 1899 American Curved Dash Oldsmobile produced by the Le Roy Manufacturing Co. of Berlin, (now Kitchener) Ontario.
Ford began manufacturing in Canada in 1908. The Model-T became a best-seller here by making car ownership a possibility for many Canadian families.
The Russell Model 14-28, 1914 was built by the Canadian Cycle and Motor Company (CCM) which went into the car business in 1905.
The finely-crafted 1927 McLaughlin Buick “Royal Tour Car” was built for a royal tour by the Duke of Windsor, who was so impressed he ordered a McLaughlin Buick for his official limousine after becoming King Edward the VIII.
1958 Volkswagen Beetle: Canadians loved the Beetle for its reliability, simplicity and low gas consumption
The Meteor brand, sold by Ford between 1949 and 1976 here was always popular with Canadians, and is represented here by a 1961 Meteor Montcalm.
The fiberglass bodied Manic GT of 1971 was manufactured in Granby, Quebec in 1970 and relied on Renault engines and running gear.
1973 Ford Meteor Silver Anniversary Edition: Meteor was discontinued in 1976 but by that time nearly 600,000 had been produced in Ford of Canada’s Oakville, Ontario plant.
The Bricklin factory opened in 1974 in New Brunswick, producing only 3000 cars before closing two years later.
The 1989 Corolla, built in Cambridge, Ontario, was first Canadian-made Toyota to be sold in Canada.
The 1989 Volvo 740 GL was built in Volvo's Nova Scotia plant. Volvo was the first non-North American auto maker to set up shop on this continent when they opened the plant in 1963.
1998 Toyota Prius