>>>
RESTORATION
NOT FORD—FOSS CANADA’S FIRST GASOLINE ENGINE AUTOMOBILE BY JULIA LLOYD
H
ave you ever heard of the Fossmobile?
In 1897, the vehicle claimed the title of Canada’s first successful gasoline-engine automobile. “We grew up listening to my grandfather and father tell stories of the Fossmobile,” Ron Foss, grandson of Fossmobile inventor George Foote Foss told Bodyworx Professional. “It was something my whole family grew up with; even my granddaughter has done a project on the topic.” When Ron was young, his grandfather received two honorary memberships, one from the vintage Automobile Club of Montreal and the other from the Antique Automobile Club of America. Ron knew his grandfather as a great Canadian inventor. Though as he grew older, he realized few outside Sherbrooke knew the inspiring legacy of George Foss or his Fossmobile. “More Canadians should know that Henry Ford was not the first to invent the gasoline-powered automobile in Canada, it was my grandfather—George Foss.”
When George began his project in 1896, he envisioned a vehicle that would transcend the industry and make driving more convenient and efficient. He first began his hobby working with boats and soon after coming back from a trip to Boston, he moved on to automobiles. He wanted to craft a gas-powered vehicle that could last longer than 20 minutes on the road. “He decided there was a better way to build a vehicle,” Ron said. “I remember him telling us the first time he had tried to sell it. A guy came down from Ottawa to Montreal to test drive it, but when he tried to start it, it kicked back and pulled over the cowling onto the ground. It was a no sale, but then my grandfather found out that the guy had a wooden leg,” laughed Ron. “By 1897, he was driving around scaring children, getting stuck in the mud and getting tickets for driving on the sidewalk.” In 1902, after a year in storage, George sold the Fossmobile—the only one he ever made—for $75, and it was never seen again. Now, more than a century later, Ron has
20 BODYWORXMAG.COM | BODYWORX PROFESSIONAL
George Foote Foss, inventor of Canada’s first gas-powered engine vehicle.
“I thought more Canadians should know that Henry Ford was not the first in Canada to invent the gasolinepowered automobile, it was my grandfather— George Foss.”
