Canada Science and Technology Museum to Feature Vintage Automobiles at Montreal International Auto Show

Ottawa, Ontario – The Canada Science and Technology Museum (CSTM) is pleased to be participating in the Montreal International Auto Show (MIAS) as a way of showcasing and promoting Canadian achievements in automotive science and technology.

“As keepers of Canada’s scientific and technological collection,” says Claude Faubert, Director General of the CSTM, “we make it our goal to engage all generations of Canadians in an exploration of the rich connections between science, technology, culture and society. Automobiles offer a unique opportunity to do that and, in doing so, allow Canadians to experience the past, explore the present, and imagine the future.”

With its participation in events such as the Auto Show, the CSTM is able to share two of the many vehicles from its world-renowned automobile collection with Canadians across the country.

Over 200,000 visitors to the MIAS will have an opportunity to see Canada’s first automobile: the Henry Seth Taylor steam buggy, built by its namesake in the 1860s in Stanstead, Quebec. This two-seat vehicle, directed by a tiller and rack-and-pinion steering, was propelled by steam generated in a coal-fired boiler.

The Henry Seth Taylor was equipped with two cylinders and a lever that controlled forward and reverse movements. The car did not have brakes, and its maximum speed was 24 km/h.

The Museum will also exhibit the Comet, which was originally displayed at the very first Auto Show in Montreal, over one hundred years ago. The Comet was built by the Comet Motor Company, established in Montreal in 1906, and was reportedly named after Halley’s Comet, which was due to reappear in 1910.

Visitors to the Canada Science and Technology Museum will be able to see more of this world-renowned automobile collection when its new exhibition, In Search of the Canadian Car, opens in June 2010. The Montreal International Auto Show 2010 runs from January 15 to 24, 2010 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal.
Information: www.montrealautoshow.com

Sharing Canada’s rich collections of objects related to transportation, natural resources, communications, space, energy, manufacturing and industry, the Canada Science and Technology Museum helps Canadians explore the rich connections between science, technology, and culture. For more information, please visit sciencetech.technomuses.ca or call us at 613-991-3044.

Contacts

Kelly Ray
Canada Science and Technology Museum
613-949-5732
kray@technomuses.ca