FOSS V FORD – Re-Aligning Canadian Automotive History

Inventors can effect generations to appear, usually transforming the way we do items and defining historical eras. Recounts of the inventors’ accomplishments, and stories about their lives are upheld with desire and for posterity. Historians look for proof and information, so that the achievements of these inventors are precisely mirrored in documents, held in libraries, archives and museums.

Even though not long ago doing work at two situations, we have been equipped to casually request associates of the common public if they knew who invented the initial gasoline car in Canada. It may well not surprise you to hear that most of individuals we polled considered that Ford was the very first automobile builder in Canada. Of class, Ford has the benefit of brand recognition and longevity. Having said that, Ford was not Canadian and nor did he establish the 1st gasoline vehicle in Canada.

The hottest release of the academy award-successful motion picture, Ford v Ferrari, renewed recognition that in the course of the mid 1960s, the Ford brand name was a pressure to be reckoned with. The momentum of this film has created an possibility for the Foss relatives, to deliver to gentle an generally-overlooked piece of Canadian background. You see, the inventor of the very first gasoline car in Canada was not Ford, but was in reality the lesser acknowledged Foss. Foss developed the Fossmobile in 1897, about the exact same time as Ford invented the Quadracycle in the United States. Ford’s 1st vehicles were not dispersed in Canada right up until the early 1900s. So, in the late 1800’s it was Ford v Foss.

The acknowledgement for this ground-breaking piece of Canadian heritage, has for also prolonged been in some way buried and misplaced below the shadow of Ford. The Foss family members has recently rekindled within just Canadian historians and classic vehicle fans, an curiosity in celebrating the accomplishments of George Foote Foss, the original inventor of the initial effective gasoline automobile in Canada.

The Ford v Ferrari rivalry demonstrates how competitiveness, along with eyesight, particular 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 targeted pal, British race automobile driver Ken Miles. Alongside one another, they embraced the intention established out by Henry Ford II, to defeat Ferrari by producing a faster race automobile. They embraced a collective eyesight to challenge the racing world’s regulations of physics and gingerly stepped close to corporate interference in get to create a innovative vehicle for the Ford Motor Co. The prepare was to compete head-to-head from the race cars and trucks of Enzo Ferrari at the 24-Hour of Le Mans, in France. Soon after years of Ferrari dominance, their eyesight was understood. In 1966 the Ford GT 40 received, having all 3 podium positions: 1st, next and third.

The tale of the Fossmobile might not have the pizzazz essential for a blockbuster movie plot, but it does should have awareness, for its historic relevance. Very long prior to Ford was promoting automobiles in Canada, the original Fossmobile was built by George Foote Foss, in a small, dusty previous bicycle restore and equipment shop, in Sherbrooke, Quebec in 1897. Like the key characters in the Ford v Ferrari motion picture, Foss experienced eyesight and private conviction. He enlisted the assist of three workmen and sought out the Iron Will work Organization of Sherbrooke who assisted make the first castings for the engine he built. He engineered pieces from scratch, combining his intuition to consider exterior the box with his competencies from his machining and bicycle repairs. Foss persevered right until he experienced set with each other a thing that could be pushed on the hilly streets of Sherbrooke.

It is nicely documented that he drove this invention all-around for four many years, effectively just before any other vehicles showed up in the region. George Foss achieved Henry Ford on a lot more than a single celebration, to talk about the idea of building vehicles jointly. Finally Foss turned Ford down, sensing that the two experienced distinct character types and visions.

The Foss spouse and children carries on to create recognition about Foss, the initially Canadian gasoline vehicle inventor, by speaking at occasions and hosting information and facts booths. Their most significant and most substantial task to date is the rebuilding of a tribute/reproduction of the initial Fossmobile. This job requires a significant quantity of fundraising in get to bring this vision to fruition.

It was disappointing to listen to that most of the individuals we spoke to at the latest occasions assumed that Ford was someway liable for Canada’s very first automobile. This illuminated the require to look past the now nicely-identified Ford v Ferrari legacy, to the far more distant earlier of the unique Ford v Foss legacy, at least below in Canada. Composed in the very last paragraph of the preface in the “Cars and trucks of Canada” e book, Durnford / Baechler (1973, McClelland and Stewart Constrained), is the pursuing

“A universal mistake is the assert that Ford was the first Canadian car producer. For a long time John Moodie mistakenly claimed to have imported the 1st car or truck into Canada. U.H Dandurand claimed to have had the very first motor vehicle in Montreal, but he failed to. And so it goes. Lots of hallowed legends show unfounded.”

Some 47 a long time later on, these myths feel to go on on, specifically the Ford one. There is no dilemma that Henry Ford and Ford v Ferrari belongs proudly in American history publications. Having said that, in this article in Canada the male we should be acknowledging as the original builder, is George Foote Foss. The retelling of this vital historical Canadian legacy might ultimately dispel the myth that Ford was the initial to have a gasoline vehicle in Canada. It is our responsibility as Canadians to embrace this tranquil builder’s significant portion of Canadian automotive record and not let the Ford large outshine his legacy.

The tribute/replica of the unique Fossmobile is carefully and painstakingly becoming crafted to support glow a mild on this historic feat. The Foss family has carried out the monumental endeavor of overseeing this venture. A workforce has been assembled to execute every detail and the undertaking is perfectly on its way to completion. The aim is for this tribute/duplicate motor vehicle to be put into a Canadian museum, so that people can have a greater opportunity to take pleasure in this sizeable Canadian accomplishment. The Fossmobile Tribute automobile and its supporting memorabilia will aid to a lot more plainly rectify Canadian automotive history, and re-set up that it was and is Foss v Ford, as the initial gasoline car builder in Canada.