Mark your calendars for January 11th!

The Canadian Transportation Museum Heritage Village in Kingsville is gearing up to launch the Canadian Automotive Museum’s Exit the Horse exhibit, a fascinating exhibition showcasing Canada’s earliest gas-powered vehicles: the Shamrock and the Fossmobile.

While Henry Seth Taylor’s 1867 steam-powered car in Quebec may technically be Canada’s first vehicle, it was more of a curiosity than a breakthrough. Powered by a water-fed steam engine, it lacked the practicality needed to usher in the automobile era.

The real revolution came with internal combustion engines, which would soon dominate the industry.

The Shamrock, started by the Mimna Brothers of Wardsville, Ontario, in 1893, is often credited as Canada’s first internal combustion vehicle. However, debates surround this claim, as the car wasn’t completed until 1904.

Some historians also point to the presence of a steering wheel—an innovation that didn’t reach North America until 1899—as a piece of evidence of its later development.

In contrast, the Fossmobile, built in 1897 by George Foote Foss in Sherbrooke, Quebec, holds the undisputed title of Canada’s first successful gasoline-powered car.

Designed with a single-cylinder, front mounted engine and racing sulky wire wheels, it was a marvel of innovation. Foss’s mechanical genius not only made the Fossmobile practical but also revolutionary for its time.

Foss successfully drove his automobile for four years in Sherbrooke and Montreal, prior to selling it for $75.00.

Foss’s contributions didn’t end there, having inspired others to mount the engine in the front, have all controls mounted on the steering tiller and accessible within the cockpit.

He famously declined an offer to partner with Henry Ford, believing Ford’s vehicle to be inferior.

While Ford went on to pioneer mass production, Foss chose a different path, focusing on his local machining business rather than building an automotive empire. This decision left the Fossmobile as a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

For decades, the Fossmobile faded into obscurity. But a recent surge of interest in Canada’s automotive history has brought it back into the spotlight.

A meticulous replica of the original Fossmobile has been crafted, with oversight provided by the Foss family, reigniting national pride in this historic achievement.

The Exit the Horse exhibition not only honors the Shamrock and the Fossmobile but also celebrates the spirit of Canadian innovation.

These vehicles remind us of a time when necessity, creativity, and determination fueled progress.

As Canada continues to push boundaries in sustainable automotive technologies, these early pioneers serve as enduring symbols of how far we’ve come—and how far we can go. Don’t miss your chance to witness this tribute to Canada’s automotive roots!

For those seeking more information regarding the Fossmobile you can visit http://www.Fossmobile.ca.