-
McLaughlin Starts Manafacturing Custom Cars
The McLaughlin automobile company began in 1876 as a carriage mafacturing company. By 1920, the company began making automobiles in Oshawa, Ontario under the guidance of Sam McLaughlin. -
In 1925, Chrysler of Canada is Founded
The company was founded by Walter Chrysler in Windsor. Chrysler was re-organized from the Maxwell Motor Company.Their first car was the Plymouth Model Q. This car was known for being a well-engineered car that was affordable. 60,000 Model Q's were sold in the first year production. -
Car Sales Explode
In 1928, Canadian automakers produce 240,000 vehicles – just under half of these are for export. By the end of the 1920s, the mass production of cars meant they were more affordable for more families. Canadians registered 1.9 million cars by the end of the decade. -
Durant Motors of Canada introduces the Model 40 as its four-cylinder market entry for 1929.
The Model 40 featured a 36 horsepower engine and was available in five body styles in both standard and deluxe trim. Despite its features, the Model 40 could not save the failing company. Nine years after it opened its first plant in Leaside, Ontario, Durant Motors of Canada gave control of the company to Canadian general manager Roy Kerby. It became Dominion Motors Ltd in 1931. -
Production of the Frontenac.
The Canadian production of the Frontenac is so successful it becomes independent of Durant Motors, its American parent company. The new Canadian company that emerges in 1931 is called Dominion Motors Ltd. To help make cars seem more Canadian, manufacturers would sometimes name them after Canadian historical figures. The Frontenac was named after Count Frontenac, who was the governor of New France. -
The beginning of the Chrysler Airflow
The Chrysler Airflow marks a radical shift in car design. The Airflow was one of the first full-size production car to use streamlining as a basis for building a sleeker automobile. The car was introduced months before it was put into production. -
The La Salle is Introduced
The La Salle is introduced in the US in 1936 as the low-end of the Cadillac line. It is the first automobile to be designed by a stylist rather than an engineer or mechanic. -
Two McLaughlin-Buicks are manufactured for the Royal Tour in 1939
Prince Edward ordered personal limousine in the summer of 1935. He commissioned a customized McLaughlin-Buick “giving two passengers luxury and privacy, specifications to include drinks cabinets, vanity mirrors, reading lights, correspondence facilities, radio, smoker’s cabinet, jewellery cabinet, compartments for canteen and luncheon trays, and a drawer to accommodate London telephone directories.” The car is re-used in 1986 for Prince Charles and Princess Diana's Canadian Tour.
