The second generation Edmonton was unveiled in 1956. As was expected, it was very similar to the original but there were a few differences. The Delivery model was not updated, it was decided that the previous generation would be kept for a few more years. The I6 was unchanged, while the V8 received an update. It now produced 184 hp and 238 lb-ft of torque. The V8 models were more easily differentiated from all the extra chrome. They now also had a standard level interior with factory radio, power steering, and a four-speed tranmission. The I6 models had a basic interior, an optional dealer-installed radio, and a three-speed. The Wagon was now also available as a low-spec I6 trim with the same equipment found in the I6 Truck.
Also new was the I6 Fleet trim that had some lower quality equipment than the consumer model and replaced the rear bench seat with two benches facing each other, allowing for eight passengers and a driver. This was the beginning of Canada Motors’ commercial-oriented models.
Naturally, the second generation Edmonton was a commercial success. It was the first model to be exported into Mexico and the Carribean as the company became profitable enough to expand South. Construction began on a large assemply plant to produce the Edmonton that would be sold in the region.
By 1958, Canada Motors had expanded into Mexico, the Carribean, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil. A second plant was being built in Mexico to increase the volume of passenger cars at lower shipping costs. Over the next decade, the company would gradually spread through all of South America. Many of these Edmontons can still be found working away, especially in Cuba.
At this point, the company lineup included the Edmonton, Ontario, Quebec, Toronto, Laurentian, and Northwest. The Toronto was only exported south of the United States through custom orders.
In 1958, Canada Motors unveiled a second generation of the famed Laurentian. While it grew over the original, it was still a small offroader with an updated version of the 2.2L I4 that now produced 90 hp and 114 lb-ft of torque. The transmission was now a three-speed and a basic radio was offered as a dealer-installed option, but other than that not much had changed in features. What changed was the design, where the utilitarian design with removable doors and soft top and a folding windshield were replaced by a sculpted body drawing its design from the rest of the company’s current lineup. It wasn’t entirely closed off, as the roof was mostly comprised of a canvas panel that rolled back to for some semblance of open-air driving.
The second generation Laurentian was introduced only in the Canadian and American markets, while the Canadian Army and the rest of the Americas still had the original. This second generation turned out to be a failure as it was too stark a departure from the original. It only lasted on the market until 1961 and was not to be replaced for over a decade.
Briefly jumping back to something that should have been posted earlier…
1957 brought a facelifted Toronto to the market. While available equipment naturally received minor changes since 1953, this was the year a lot of changes were made. The most obvious was the restyled bodywork, bringing the Toronto more in line with recent jet-inspired designs. A few mechanical changes were also made, namely wider wheels and improved suspension. The 6.0L V8 found in the De Luxe was also updated, now providing 255 hp and 319 lb-ft of torque. Paired with the similarly updated 2-speed automatic, 0-100 now took 9.9 seconds at the cost of top speed dropping from 205 km/h to 202 km/h, which the Canada Motors engineers found as a negligeable compromise. Similar regearing of the Luxe transmission dropped its top speed down to 181 km/h to now acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 12.5 seconds.
Thanks! I’m unfortunately limited in terms of bodies for the late 50s, so I’ve kinda hit a wall at this point. I will make good use of my new Continental when I release it. It’s exactly what a second generation Toronto and Quebec need.
1960: a new decade graced with an all-new Toronto. With the jet age coming to an end, the redesigned Toronto was given a much sleeker design leading to a less spacious interior, but such are the demands of style. The same trims and engines returned, but the 5.2L in the Luxe was updated and now produced 211 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque.
New developments also brought new safety features and high-tech 3-speed transmissions to the model range. The Luxe trim now travelled 0-100 km/h in 10.5 seconds with a top speed of 213 km/h while the De Luxe took 9.8 seconds to reach 100 km/h and could go up to 230 km/h.
Also new for 1960 was the replacement for the 1954 Regal, featuring the same modifications as the original. This means a softer suspension for improved comfort, seating for only two in the rear, the removal of the front sunroof with the addition of a divider between the front and rear seats. This time, only threeblack ones were made for government use while two claret models replaced the previous Royal Family cars.
The 1961 Quebec was unveiled to great fanfare, ushering in a modern new design direction for the average consumer. Gone were the wings of the jet age still so prevalent on many American cars.
The 1961 Quebec added new delivery and wagon body styles to the range, as there was some demand for a sleeker design in family and commercial utility vehicles. All of these were powered by an updated version of the 3.0L I6 found in the previous generation. It now produced 128 hp and 159 lb-ft of torque, so while not much of a difference, it was still decided that modernising the engine was crucial to the new car.
Also new with the second generation of the Quebec was the Premium trim on the coupe, convertible, and wagon. These included a better quality interior, higher grade stereo, automatic transmission, and a new 4.2L V8 producing 179 hp and 228 lb-ft of torque.
In 1963, right hand drive versions of the Quebec began being produced and shipped to Australia (and New Zealand from there), opening yet another market to Canada Motors. The Utility variants turned out to be especially popular with rural customers who loved their off-road dynamics compared to most utes.
Overall, the Quebec was a moderate success in existing markets and helped Canada Motors to establish a foothold in a couple of new ones.
1961 is also the year a new Ontario was released, shedding its 1950s curves for a more angular design. The engine was an updated version of the 2.4L I6 used in the Ontario since its 1948 introduction, now producing 95 hp and 123 lb-ft of torque. While 1955 saw a coupe variant introduced to the model lineup, the 1961 was quite simply an update on what already existed.
Right hand drive versions of the Ontario were now also exported to Australia and New Zealand and increasing popularity prompted the construction of a plant in Australia in 1962, which would open by 1964 for the facelifted model. The Ontario worked its way up to becoming one of the most popular cars in Canada while also managing to hold its own in the rest of the Americas. While small cars were not all that popular in the United States, the low price along with Canada Motors’ reputation for solid go-anywhere cars allowed it to increase its market share.
Speculation was rising as to whether or not Canada Motors would try to crack the European market soon…
(A new Edmonton was released for 1962, but it won’t be shown due to absence of an appropriate body.)
1962 saw a long overdue update on the Northwest delivery van. The improved 3.5L I6 also found in the new Edmonton now produce 139 hp and 180 lb-ft of torque. Overall economy and performance improved from that engine and the new 4-speed manual transmission.
With its current age, the Northwest was due for a complete replacement soon that would also be sold outside of the Americas, while planning was already underway for production facilities in Brazil. It was being seen as economically viable to have a plant that could produce vehicles locally while also keeping older models in production for markets that did not worry as much about the age of certain designs.
The Mk1 variant has been used in the Edmonton since 1950 while the Mk2 was mainly developed for the 1962 redesign of the Edmonton. Without any pickup bodies in the 60s and most of the 70s I can’t show that model except for the I6 as it is used in the Northwest as well. The “T” designation on the engine is for “Truck” and so it won’t find its way into a regular car. The Fraser is the only car to have had a variant of a truck engine as the company didn’t have the resources to develop something entirely new at the time.
The biggest change was the addition of the “Aero” model, a four-door convertible version the De Luxe. As expected, available equipment was slightly updated. The Luxe model found itself with a new 5.4L variant of its existing V8 as a direct response to the demands for more performance from the customers. This new variant produced 219 hp and 283 lb-ft of torque.
Coming soon are the facelifts of the Quebec and Ontario.
