On Simcoe Street in downtown Oshawa, there is an unassuming, two-story old building. It lacks futuristic glass facades and isn't as grand as a large
museum. But when you push open the doors, rows of brass headlights, wooden wheels, and curved car bodies suddenly appear before your eyes, and time seems to have slipped back a hundred years.
This is the Canadian Automotive Museum. The building was used as a car dealership as early as 1921, and later served as a relief department, a pharmaceutical company, and offices. In 1963, it returned to the world of automobiles, becoming a museum dedicated to preserving Canadian automotive history.
Why is an old car dealership worth preserving? The answer lies not only in these vintage cars, but also in the destiny of the city of Oshawa.
Cars were initially just "horseless carriages"
In the exhibition hall, there is a strangely shaped car: slender wooden wheels, open seats, and a body that looks more like a four-wheeled carriage without the horses. It is a replica of the 1897 Fossmobile. Back then, George Foote Foss, a Quebec mechanic and bicycle repairman, had an unpleasant experience riding an electric car in Boston. Believing he could build a better machine, he learned to build internal combustion engines using diagrams from magazines and eventually created Canada's first successful gasoline-powered car. The original car has long since disappeared; what you see today is a version rebuilt by the Foss family based on photos and records. But it marks an important moment: the car was not yet a mature commodity, but a bold experiment in a garage. Inventors didn't know which engine would eventually win out, nor did they know if horses would truly be pushed off city roads.
Why did the "carriage king" switch to making cars?
This change was particularly evident in Oshawa. At the end of the 19th century, the McLaughlin family operated a massive carriage business. At that time, a well-crafted carriage was like a luxury car today—a symbol of wealth, technology, and status. However, Samuel McLaughlin gradually realized that if engines could replace horses, no matter how successful the carriage business was, it could suddenly lose its future.
In 1907, the McLaughlin Motor Car Company was founded. Lacking mature engine technology, they partnered with Buick in the United States to import powertrains, while manufacturing bodies and completing assembly in Oshawa. Early McLaughlin cars still retained the silhouette of a carriage, even using the complex painting and varnishing techniques of the carriage era. The two modes of transport coexisted in the same city, but the winner soon became clear. In 1918, the McLaughlin Motor Car Company, along with Chevrolet's Canadian operations, became part of the newly formed General Motors of Canada. Oshawa transformed from a "carriage city" to an "automotive city."
Made in Canada, why the foreign badge?
The theme of the museum's second floor is "Made in Canada: 1903–1999." This is the best place to correct a misconception: the fact that most domestic Canadian car brands eventually disappeared does not mean Canada stopped building cars.
Many cars bearing Buick, Chevrolet, Ford, or other international brand badges were actually produced by Canadian workers. They used Canadian-made parts, were welded, painted, and assembled in Ontario factories, and then shipped everywhere via rail, road, and port.
The Canadian automotive industry thus formed a unique identity: the brands might belong to multinational corporations, but the factories, technology, workers, and urban life remained deeply rooted in Canada. Millions of cars were produced in Oshawa, and the jobs, incomes, and even family memories of generations of residents were tied to the hum of the assembly line.
Cars brought prosperity but also planted risks. When a city becomes overly dependent on a single large enterprise, a layoff or the relocation of a production line affects not just the factory, but restaurants, shops, housing prices, and the future of countless families.
Electric cars are not a new invention
Continuing the tour, you will encounter another surprise: electric cars are not a new invention that only appeared in the 21st century.
As early as the late 19th century, gasoline cars, electric cars, and steam cars competed simultaneously. Electric cars were quiet and easy to drive, but were limited by battery capacity, range, and charging conditions; with the popularization of gas stations and the mass production of gasoline cars, they gradually retreated to the margins of the market.
The 2008 ZENN electric car in the exhibition hall is small, and its name comes from the English acronym for "Zero Emission, No Noise." It was manufactured in Quebec and positioned as a low-speed city car that could not be driven on highways. It didn't change the world, but it acts like a bridge, connecting the electric car experiments of over a hundred years ago to today's new energy era.
Walking out of the museum and looking back at this old car dealership, you will understand that what is preserved here is not just beautiful vintage cars. It tells the story of how inventors challenged the horse-drawn carriage, how traditional enterprises chased technology, how a city flourished because of automobiles, and how it endured industrial change.
From carriages to gasoline cars, and then to electric cars, it has never been just about a machine. Every change in power source redefines where factories are built, who can find work, and the direction in which a city will head.