FOSS V FORD – Re-Aligning Canadian Automotive History

Inventors can impact generations to arrive, usually changing the way we do factors and defining historical eras. Recounts of the inventors’ achievements, and stories about their lives are upheld with curiosity and for posterity. Historians search for proof and details, so that the accomplishments of these inventors are correctly mirrored in files, held in libraries, archives and museums.

Whilst not long ago doing the job at two occasions, we were being ready to casually check with users of the general general public if they realized who invented the initially gasoline vehicle in Canada. It could not shock you to hear that most of those we polled believed that Ford was the initially vehicle builder in Canada. Of study course, Ford has the advantage of manufacturer recognition and longevity. However, Ford was not Canadian and nor did he make the to start with gasoline car in Canada.

The most current release of the academy award-successful motion picture, Ford v Ferrari, renewed recognition that during the mid 1960s, the Ford manufacturer was a force to be reckoned with. The momentum of this movie has made an opportunity for the Foss spouse and children, to convey to mild an frequently-missed piece of Canadian heritage. You see, the inventor of the very first gasoline car in Canada was not Ford, but was in reality the lesser recognised Foss. Foss built the Fossmobile in 1897, close to the identical time as Ford invented the Quadracycle in the United States. Ford’s very first automobiles have been not distributed in Canada until finally the early 1900s. So, in the late 1800’s it was Ford v Foss.

The acknowledgement for this floor-breaking piece of Canadian history, has for too lengthy been in some way buried and misplaced beneath the shadow of Ford. The Foss relatives has a short while ago rekindled inside Canadian historians and vintage vehicle lovers, an desire in celebrating the achievements of George Foote Foss, the unique inventor of the to start with profitable gasoline car in Canada.

The Ford v Ferrari rivalry demonstrates how levels of competition, alongside with vision, personal conviction, and collaboration, can guide to good strides in automotive innovation. As we see in the movie, in the mid 1960s, American automotive designer Carroll Shelby collaborated with his precision centered close friend, British race motor vehicle driver Ken Miles. With each other, they embraced the aim set out by Henry Ford II, to conquer Ferrari by making a more rapidly race car or truck. They embraced a collective vision to problem the racing world’s rules of physics and gingerly stepped all-around company interference in get to make a groundbreaking motor vehicle for the Ford Motor Co. The program was to compete head-to-head towards the race automobiles of Enzo Ferrari at the 24-Hour of Le Mans, in France. Soon after decades of Ferrari dominance, their vision was understood. In 1966 the Ford GT 40 gained, getting all a few podium positions: initial, 2nd and third.

The story of the Fossmobile may possibly not have the pizzazz desired for a blockbuster movie plot, but it does should have consideration, for its historic relevance. Lengthy prior to Ford was marketing vehicles in Canada, the authentic Fossmobile was created by George Foote Foss, in a little, dusty old bicycle repair and device store, in Sherbrooke, Quebec in 1897. Like the key characters in the Ford v Ferrari film, Foss experienced eyesight and personal conviction. He enlisted the enable of 3 workmen and sought out the Iron Operates Corporation of Sherbrooke who helped make the preliminary castings for the engine he built. He engineered areas from scratch, combining his instinct to believe outside the box with his expertise from his machining and bicycle repairs. Foss persevered until eventually he experienced set collectively anything that could be pushed on the hilly streets of Sherbrooke.

It is properly documented that he drove this invention about for 4 yrs, well in advance of any other cars confirmed up in the region. George Foss satisfied Henry Ford on additional than just one occasion, to focus on the notion of creating vehicles alongside one another. In the end Foss turned Ford down, sensing that the two experienced unique personality kinds and visions.

The Foss spouse and children continues to create awareness close to Foss, the initial Canadian gasoline motor vehicle inventor, by speaking at situations and hosting information booths. Their biggest and most important task to date is the rebuilding of a tribute/reproduction of the original Fossmobile. This venture entails a significant volume of fundraising in order to deliver this vision to fruition.

It was disappointing to listen to that most of the people today we spoke to at the latest situations assumed that Ford was by some means responsible for Canada’s 1st automobile. This illuminated the will need to seem past the now effectively-identified Ford v Ferrari legacy, to the far more distant past of the initial Ford v Foss legacy, at minimum here in Canada. Written in the previous paragraph of the preface in the “Cars of Canada” guide, Durnford / Baechler (1973, McClelland and Stewart Restricted), is the next

“A universal error is the declare that Ford was the initially Canadian car producer. For decades John Moodie mistakenly claimed to have imported the initial automobile into Canada. U.H Dandurand claimed to have had the first car in Montreal, but he did not. And so it goes. Numerous hallowed legends show unfounded.”

Some 47 decades afterwards, these myths seem to be to proceed on, specifically the Ford just one. There is no problem that Henry Ford and Ford v Ferrari belongs proudly in American record textbooks. On the other hand, right here in Canada the male we need to be acknowledging as the original builder, is George Foote Foss. The retelling of this critical historic Canadian legacy may well finally dispel the myth that Ford was the initial to have a gasoline auto in Canada. It is our obligation as Canadians to embrace this peaceful builder’s significant component of Canadian automotive background and not let the Ford big outshine his legacy.

The tribute/duplicate of the original Fossmobile is meticulously and painstakingly being created to support glow a mild on this historic feat. The Foss relatives has carried out the huge task of overseeing this job. A team has been assembled to execute each individual element and the task is properly on its way to completion. The aim is for this tribute/duplicate automobile to be put into a Canadian museum, so that site visitors can have a far better probability to respect this substantial Canadian accomplishment. The Fossmobile Tribute car and its supporting memorabilia will assistance to additional clearly rectify Canadian automotive background, and re-build that it was and is Foss v Ford, as the initially gasoline auto builder in Canada.