Hagerty Garage + Social Toronto Hosts Unveiling of the Restored Fossmobile™, Canada's First Gas Powered Car
TORONTO, April 28, 2022 /CNW/ - Yesterday, Hagerty Garage + Social Toronto hosted the unveiling of the restoration of Canada's first successful gasoline engine automobile, the Fossmobile™, built more than 120 years ago by George Foss, a bicycle mechanic and blacksmith from Sherbrooke, Quebec. The driving force behind the restoration was none other than Foss's grandson, Ron Foss, who seeks to recognize his grandfather's achievements and cement the Fossmobile™ in automotive history.
In 1897, shortly after trying the first electric horseless carriage and being unimpressed by the limited range, George Foss went on to create the first successful Canadian internal combustion, gasoline-powered engine. The Fossmobile™ was a four-wheeled, four-horsepower, single-cylinder automobile with a top speed of 24 kilometers per hour, which was an incredibly unique and modern alternative to contemporary horse-powered transportation.
"We're honoured to be hosting the unveiling of an iconic piece of Canadian history," says Natasha De Melis, Territory Marketing Specialist, Hagerty Canada. "As a company rooted in saving car culture for future generations, we couldn't think of a better place to host this tribute and honour the Foss family's contribution to automotive history."
The tribute to the Fossmobile™ was meticulously assembled by the talented craftsmen at Legendary Motorcar Company of Milton, Ontario. Legendary's craftspeople have taken all of the parts of this unique project and given them a full run-through, restoring components when possible and fabricating new parts from scratch when necessary. Since there is little documentation on the technical design of the car, Ron and the shop made decisions based on photographs, a handful of known measurements and period technology.
Since the car's construction pre-dates colour photography, Ron made well-informed choices for the shade and design of the car, including for interiors such as the seat cushions. The wheels that came with the chassis have been restored and refinished, keeping the tires white as they were back in the day before carbon was introduced to rubber. A skilled woodworker was enlisted to rebuild the body, seat and engine cowl while Ron has rebuilt a majority of the engine.
"My goal is to correctly inform Canadians of this achievement and largely untold story," says Foss. "The automobile has become such an important part of worldwide society; it's time that we celebrate the major role that Canada - and my grandfather - played in this process.."
The restored Fossmobile will be an authentic, museum-quality tribute to Canada's first internal-combustion automobile. You can read more about the history of the Fossmobile™ on Fossmobile.ca, where Ron has documented much of his grandfather's history and that of the car. The Fossmobile will be on display at Hagerty Garage + Social Toronto until April 28, at which point it will be transferred to Halton Hills.
About Hagerty, Inc. (NYSE: HGTY)
Based in Traverse City, Michigan, Hagerty's purpose is to save driving and car culture for future generations and its mission is to build a global business to fund that purpose. Hagerty is an automotive enthusiast brand offering integrated membership products and programs as well as a specialty insurance provider focused on the global automotive enthusiast market. Hagerty is home to Hagerty Drivers Club, Hagerty Drivers Club magazine, Hagerty Drivers Foundation, Hagerty DriveShare, Hagerty Valuation Tools, Hagerty Media, MotorsportReg, Hagerty Garage + Social, Hagerty Marketplace, The Amelia, the Detroit Concours d'Elegance, the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance, the California Mille, Motorworks Revival and more. For more information on Hagerty, please visit www.hagerty.com, or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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