O Scale Motor Vehicle Chronicle Sept 25

That is a 1967 Beaumont. The Beaumonts were Canadian cars produced by GM from 1966 to 1969. they were not marketed in the US.

Growing up in Detroit, I occasionally saw Canadian cars on the street. Canada was just across the bridge in Windsor, Ontario. The '56 Meteor, with its V grille, was an especially noticeable item. Many of the GM and Chrysler entries were kind of stealth vehicles - the differences were subtle and you often didn't notice them driving by. If you saw a parked car with "Parisienne" on it, you knew it was Canadian. 

Great thread. I like seeing the Canadian variants on US cars. I actually saw a couple of Beaumonts in So Cal (Canadian plates), specifically near Disneyland. Back in the 1960's cross-country road trips were still pretty common and Disneyland was a popular. destination. I also like seeing the non-US versions of imports. Some of the differences are pretty amazing.

I think I mentioned on here I was offered a postition as curator of a New Brunswick

antique auto museum solely on the fact that when I walked in, I knew what a Russell and a McLaughlin were.  Russell was a Canadian make, as, I think was McLaughlin, but McL. was bought out by GM and became a rebadged Buick.  Russell disappeared, I think in the late twenties...not sure when the McLaughlin name disappeared.  I would be interested in hearing of other Canadian! brands once sold.  There are several vintage car museums in Canada.

Thanks you're correct I made a typo, I also corrected the original post

I believe McLaughlin name is in use but not on an automobile. They build engines for GM Cars

in 1918 Sam McLaughlin owned Chevrolet of Canada and merged it with the McLaughlin Car Co to form General Motors of Canada.

Initially, Sam McLaughlin was successful producing horse drawn carriages in Oshawa, Ontario .  He saw the automotive writing on the wall and the need for a Canadian produced automobile.   Through association with William Durrant, he gained license to produce Buicks long before the merger of others into GM.  Hence forth, Canadian built Buicks began being labelled as McLaughlin Buick.  It was rumored that Col. McLaughlin, while parked in front of a Buick dealer in New York City, was told to remove his superior looking Mclaughlin model for fear it would detract customers from the US counterpart in the showroom.

  In those days of heavily tarriffed imports, it made financial good sense for US based companies to open subsidiaries if they wished to tap into the Canadian economy while avoiding import duties.  McLaughlin Buick was one of those success stories which led to the forming of General Motors of Canada.  The badging of Mclaughlin Buick continued until WWII. 

Bruce

Thanks Richard

When I was searching those Rideaus I was amazed at all the colors used, don't see many like that anymore.

Great topic, Richard.  I also remember seeing an occasional Canadian badged car in the U.S., probably owned by a Canadian that was either visiting the U.S or had recently moved here.  They were fascinating to us car fans, in their day, but we really felt that the manufacturers were "cheating" the Canadian public because, as you pointed out, many were lower priced cars with mid-range car names.  Occasionally one would come up for sale in our old neighborhood.

Paul Fischer

I remember the Ford pickups with the Mercury tailgates 

Tuckers Galore!  New dealership opens in Patsburg, Maryland!

I was watching an old movie last night and there was a chase scene with 2 1950-ish cars.  It was funny to see two 4,000 lb. cars trying to race thru a bunch of tight turns and narrow streets, the large steering wheels looked like wagon wheels in the drivers hands

The large steering wheels were handy if you did not have power steering. I had a '56 Cadillac during the '80s. I learned what "driving a boat" meant.

Joe, my dad's 1948 Buick (I think it was a in-line 8 Roadmaster) had a "rope" on the back of the front seat from side to side.  Not sure what the real reason for it was, but my brother and myself sure did use it, like riding a bronco

We were going over a fairly tall bridge one day and I tried to put the sun visor down on the passenger side when it came off in my hand (slide right off the round bar).  I proclaimed "Well, that's broke" and threw it out the window over the railing.  Never did hear the end of that (couldn't sit down for a few days either).

Many of the larger, high end cars go back to the days when rear seat heating was non-existent and the ladies, who normally in the rear, were provided with a lap robe.  It was a carryover from the custom coach makers of horse drawn carriages.  The "rope" you boys enjoyed was where the robe was stored, folded over it, so it was easily available, yet out of the way. 

Speaking of sun visors...

Around 1955, Ford and Chevy were in a price war, and each advertised a new 2-door sedan for about $1,700. F.O.B. Detroit (meaning, you pick it up from the factory). They did NOT include a radio, heater, or a passenger-side sun visor or arm rest. On the plus side, unlike today, you got a full-size spare tire and a ashtray .

I paid extra to get a full size spare on one car, but then found there was not enough

space for a full tire below the floor of the trunk (I have no clue what they thought

you were going to do with an original tire and wheel, when you did have to use the dummy spare).  I hate dummy spares, a real tire and wheel, and the space for it

should be standard, or at least, an option)

Do any of you remember the "suicide knobs" (available from JC Whitney & others) that helped you turn those large steering wheels faster? 

Tom B

They were also known as "necker knobs"...so you could steer with your left hand and (fill in the blank) your date with the right. No, I did not have one on my '53 Mercury. You can buy them new on Amazon, or vintage ones on eBay.

I worked one summer (1965) selling cars at a New Orleans Ford dealer. The Mustang had only recently come out and the base 6 cyl model was $2395 list. The Thunderbird maxed out was $4200 and I sold a red F150 without a radio, heater, nor a rear bumper off the showroom for only $1865!

Just saw a modified 65 fastback cross the auction block at the Barret Jackson Auction Friday for $70,000 I believe it was...

Try this 50's car Quiz.

I did pretty well until trying to identify 4 different Mercury's from 51 - 55... Got  96% however

http://www.americantorque.com/game/car-show-50s/

I got 96% also...reversed the '54 and '52 Mercuries.....darn similar cars and ones I

did not see often.

I got 100%, but then again, I grew up with all of them.

I got them all right. It was so much fun that I clicked on "play the next game," which was tailfins. I missed two on that one - switched the '61 and '62 Cadillacs. They have a whole bunch of those games - cars, engines, interiors, muscle cars of the 60's, etc. Later when I have some more time I'll try the one on cars of the 40's. That will be challenging, but it's relevant to me because I model steam and transition era on my layout. 

Did anybody else do the tailfin game?

Cars of the 1920's and 1930's would be more interesting to me, although I might do the 1940's one.....

Thanks c.sam,  fantastic quiz.  100%.  I did however, pump gas in the 50's.  Plus Barrett Jackson on TV,  what else could I want.  All my 50's cars back!   

I have a wonderful set of "old car" reference books that I bought used on Amazon years ago. You pay shipping of $3.99 for each of them. Following are current Amazon prices:

 Cars of the Fabulous 50s $2.88

Cars of the Facinating 40s $14.45

Cars of the Sizzling 60s $$10.99

Cars of the Sensational 70s $11.85

Cars of the Classic 30s $51.61

I have two pre-1940 Brooklins coming that I got at discount, but do not have yet in my hot little hands.  One is a 1939 Buick and the other a 1936 Terraplane.  This last I wanted, as a different make commonly seen on the street in its period, but see higher on the auction site.

Hi,  My Uncle was a chauffeur and drove the people he worked for in a 1939 Buick.  The organist at a Russian Orthodox Church near our home had a Hudson Terraplane he kept in our garage.  I remembered it sounded like a Singer sewing machine.

My uncle had a 1939 Buick, and he drove it until he bought a '56 Olds. The car, when he sold it in '56, looked brand new. His favorite gift was getting a can of Simonize.

One of my great-uncles was a chauffer. In N.Y., you had to have a chauffer licence, and wear a metal # pin while driving. I have all of his pins from 1913 to 1928.

Years ago, there was a 1939 Buick four door offered for sale in a friend's subdivision.

I went to look at it, but really wasn't interested...as I would have been if it was a

LaSalle.  I should ask my friend what ever happened to that car....while I am no

fan of Buick, the 1939 and 1940's were attractive cars.  I passed on a 1940 coupe

in an estate auction, that somebody should have gotten and restored.