1912 McLaughlin Model 35

The Detroit River divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario. It is 0.5 to 2.5 miles wide and separates two countries - the United States and Canada. Due to this division, many companies were established to mimic the work being done on the other side of the border. One such company was the McLaughlin Carriage Company which began construction of carriages in 1867, founded by Robert McLaughlin, a Canadian industrialist and businessman. Originally based in Enniskillen, a small village 20 kilometers (12 mi) northeast of Oshawa, the company soon relocated to Oshawa, Ontario, for its abundance of labor. By 1899, the company employed a workforce of approximately six hundred individuals.

After the carriage works were destroyed by fire on December 7th, 1899, the City of Oshawa lent McLaughlin $50,000 to rebuild. McLaughlin Carriage Company of Canada Limited was incorporated in 1901, and sales exceeded one million dollars from sales of over 25,000 units. By 1915 McLaughlin was making one carriage every ten minutes.

The McLaughlin-Buick
The first McLaughlin motor cars were built in 1907 under Robert McLaughlin's son Sam, who eventually began purchasing powertrains from Buick. Thus began an alliance that led to General Motors of Canada via William C. Durant's extensive acquisition program that produced General Motors Corporation in the United States.

Sam McLaughlin purchased a Jackson vehicle that was manufactured in Jackson, Michigan, and a Buick from a dealer in Toronto. After a short trip with the Buick, McLaughlin knew it was better than the Jackson automobile. McLaughlin pursued an arrangement with Durant to combine manufacturing operations but was unable to reach a deal. Instead, he formed his own enterprise called the McLaughlin Motor Car Company Limited. The first McLaughlin automobile - the Model A - was designed by an American engineer named Arthur Milbrath, who was hired away from A.O. Smith. Before the automobile was completed, Milbrath fell ill with pleurisy. Milbrath would recover and later founded the Wisconsin Motor Manufacturing Company.

With Milbrath ill, McLaughlin sought assistance from Durant, leading to a fifteen-year contract under which McLaughlin would purchase drivetrains from Buick Motors. The cars were then sold as the McLaughlin though the name McLaughlin-Buick also appeared on some vehicles.

Durant acquired many companies in a short period of time, and when vehicle sales collapsed, Durant lost control of General Motors to bankers that agreed to bail out the company. Sam McLaughlin later provided financial assistance to Durant to start a new business venture with racing driver Louis Chevrolet. Durant took control of Chevrolet and sold stock in a new business, Chevrolet Canada. The success of the Chevrolet automobile allowed Durant to regain control of General Motors in 1916, the same year General Motors Corporation was formed with Sam McLaughlin, director, and vice president. In 1918, General Motors Canada was incorporated and acquired McLaughlin and Chevrolet Canada.

In 1923 the name of the Canadian-bodied model was officially changed to McLaughlin-Buick, and production continued until 1942.

The 1912 McLaughlin-Buick Model 35
The 1912 McLaughlin-Buick Model 35 was a combination of a chassis produced by Buick in Flint, MI., with a body built by McLaughlin Motor Co., in Ontario, Canada. The wheelbase measured 101.75 inches, and the 165 cubic-inch four-cylinder engine had a cast iron block, mechanical valve lifters, and a Schebler carburetor, and produced 22 (SAE) horsepower. The three-speed sliding gear transmission replaced the previous year's two-speed planetary unit, and mechanical brakes on the rear wheels provided the stopping power.

The touring body produced by McLaughlin was very similar to its American-built Buick counterpart. Both were four-door touring bodies, similar fender lines, similar mechanisms to raise and lower the canvas top, and wooden wheels.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2023