Wednesday, January 17, 2024

2024 Montreal International Auto Show: Classic Cars

2024 Montreal International Auto Show

79th Edition

Classic cars at the Montréal International Auto Show

Celebrating 125 years of automobiles in Montréal

Friday, January 19 - Sunday, January 28, 2024


1899-2024 - 125 years of automobiles in Montréal

GHOST CAR

While the 2024 Montréal International Auto Show will feature a wide range of electric vehicles, actually, the first horseless carriage in Montréal was steam-powered! It was on November 21, 1899 that the 25th mayor of Montreal Raymond Préfontaine took a ride in the streets of Montreal in a car - the Waltham brand - owned by the real estate investor Ucal-Henri Dandurand (who developed the Rosemont neighborhood and named it after his mother.) The car was nicknamed the "ghost car" because of its two carbide headlights. It was delivered with an actual mechanic, providing its owner with a two-month training course to learn how to share the road with horses and carriages. 

The car also had four wheels, a two-person seat and six water tanks, enabling it to travel a total distance of approximately 150 kilometers. It was capable of speeds in excess of 40 km/h, but was never driven faster than 7 km/h. It had a very light two-cylinder double acting steam engine that wighted 50 lb and reached 3hp, The complete vehicle only weighed 600 lb including the wire wheels Its owner used the car for only three months before it broke down, and the carmaker eventually bought it back from him

(Source: MIAS, History Canada and this article).

At Palais des congrès de Montréal

Read more about the show here.

MIAS Website

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