Old Cars Canada

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2020-10-08T17:20:00.002-04:00

1971 Simca 1204

2019-08-24T19:35:00.000-04:00

Simca was Chrysler’s captive import from 1959 to 1978. Simca was an acronym for Société Industrielle de Mécanique et Carrosserie Automobile, which translated into English as Mechanical and Automotive Body Manufacturing Company. Manufacture of automobiles got under way in 1935. The first Simca offered to Canadians

1970 Ford Maverick

2018-10-23T13:34:00.000-04:00

The 1970 Ford Maverick was the Blue Oval's second attempt to garner the compact market. Ford unveiled the Maverick to Canadian dealers and auto journalists at a gala. This vehicle was long overdue. Falcon’s sales tanked when the Mustang arrived in 1964. Oddly, the compact Falcon grew larger and more formal. Consumers shunned it and turned once again to small imports to meet their

1964 Chevrolet Corvair

2018-08-08T14:30:00.004-04:00

While American Motors and Studebaker were quick to recognize the trend to smaller cars, GM, Ford and Chrysler were asleep at the wheel. When they finally woke up from their long winter’s nap, Chrysler and Ford decided to target Rambler and Studebaker’s Lark. General Motors decided to go head to head with With Wolfsburg. By 1959, West Germany’s Volkswagen had climbed be the third

750,000

2018-06-21T12:08:00.000-04:00

1963 Dodge

2018-05-22T18:56:00.000-04:00

Dodge sales had been dismal for the past two years. Chrysler’s President Townsend hated what he saw coming down the pike for Dodge in 1963 and pulled the fire alarm. Virgil Exner was fired and replaced by Elwood Engel, who had designed the 1961 Lincoln. The full-sized marque needed to be completely reimagined. This vehicle would be a crash program. The design team rolled up its

1955 Plymouth

2018-05-04T14:11:00.000-04:00

The 1955 Plymouth lineup was as different from the previous year’s offerings as Charlottetown is from Montréal. Internal office memos enthusiastically described it ‘a Plymouth like no other’. Suddenly, Plymouth was all glorious glitz and glamour. The sassy, seductive look was courtesy of Chrysler Corporation’s new stylist, the visionary Virgil Exner. Plymouth’s metamorphosis was under

1959 Ford Zodiac Mk II

2018-03-07T12:30:00.000-05:00

The 1959 Ford Zodiac wore its own distinctive grille. In September of 1954, the popular Ford Zephyr was given an upscale sister, the Zodiac. These two offerings were the largest in the British Ford lineup. While the body shells were the same, the Zodiac was dressed to the nines, with many glittering goodies included in the base price. In the 1950s, the styling

1947 Pontiac

2018-01-19T21:02:00.000-05:00

Since 1938, domestically-built Pontiacs shared bodies with Chevrolet. They were then mated to Pontiac trim. Grilles were modified to fit the differently shaped radiator opening and Chev bumpers were used. Styling was similar to the 1942 models. Interrupted by World War Two, marketing put its best foot forward by bragging that Pontiac was, “A fine car made finer”.

1960 Oldsmobile

2017-12-12T15:14:00.002-05:00

Styling of the 1960 Oldsmobile was conservative and dignified. Oldsmobile had a chequered sales history in the 1950s. In Oshawa, Ontario, model year production for 1952 was 6,112 units. The following model year that rose slightly to 6,800. With an end to hostilities in Korea, GM was once again able to focus on civilian vehicle production. Oldsmobile’s total jumped to

1962 Chrysler

2017-11-14T11:01:00.000-05:00

The 1962 Chrysler Saratoga two-door hardtop sold for $5,288 FOB Windsor, Ontario. It weighed in at 1 687 kilos (3,720 pounds). Styling plans for the 1962 lineup Chrysler Division lineup got under way in 1958. Anything from mild to wild was considered by industry legend Virgil Exner, design chief for the entire corporation. While a full restyle was ordered, at the very last minute, the new

1961 Comet

2017-10-07T12:40:00.000-04:00

Comet was the newest brand of automobile for Canadians in 1961. The two-door sedan weighed in at 1 140 kilos (2,513 pounds). Euphoric Mercury-Meteor dealers blasted into the 1961 model year with its third new brand in four years. The 1958 Edsel was history after three seasons, as was last year’s Canada-only Frontenac. New for 1961 was the Comet. 1961 Rambler Ambassador

1960 Frontenac

2017-07-17T18:20:00.000-04:00

The 1960 Frontenac. Sold by Meteor-Mercury dealers, the trim compact weighed in at 1 088 kilos (2,400 pounds). The small automobile became increasingly popular with consumers as the 1950s drew to a close. From St. John’s to Victoria, sales of new cars skyrocketed and 110,301 of them—a full 26.2 percent—came from abroad. 1960 Volkswagen Beetle. The top selling compact cars

Child prodigy designs a car for American Motors Canada Limited

2017-07-03T15:14:00.000-04:00

Eight-year old Greg Khouri shows off his drawing of the 1975 Dadamore that he designed for AMC Canada Limited. He’s standing in the president’s parking spot in front of the plant in Brampton, Ontario. When Greg Khouri was eight years old, the pint-sized American Motors fanatic created a design for a future AMC model that he dubbed the Dadamore. The hybrid name honoured his father, whom he

Ford of Canada outlines 1914 Canadian values and the work ethic: Part One

2017-06-28T20:44:00.001-04:00

The 1914 Ford Model T Touring Car. This example shows LHD but workers at Ford of Canada also built right-hand drive cars for drivers in British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island where vehicles drove on the left side of the road. In 1914, The Ford Motor of Canada Limited announced that its employees would receive $4 a day and become partners in a

Ford of Canada outlines 1914 Canadian values and the work ethic: Part two

2017-06-28T14:12:00.000-04:00

Ford pitched cars to farmers across the Dominion. “Now after the harvest—aren’t you going to buy that Ford?” This year’s models featured electric headlights. In 1914, The Ford Motor of Canada Limited announced that its employees would receive $4 a day and become partners in a corporate profit sharing program. This unprecedented move made Ford’s workers the highest paid

1971-1973 Plymouth Cricket

2015-08-09T17:28:00.003-04:00