In relation to Canada, nothing is simple.
Canada is a wierd place, and never simply due to poutine and clam-juice cocktails. There are additionally Canadian potato chips. Not solely do our neighbors up north indulge with nice regularity in ketchup-flavored chips, additionally they take pleasure in one thing referred to as “all-dressed” chips. I’ve had them, they usually’re tough to explain.
1954 Mercury M-100
Nevertheless it’s not simply meals. Resulting from quite a lot of elements, together with a comparatively low inhabitants density (actually), Canada has been residence to some unusual automobiles and vans, too. And by unusual, I imply distinctive. And by distinctive, I imply that American carmakers created and branded quite a lot of automobiles through the years solely for the Canadian market.
Right here’s the deal: As a result of Canada is mostly extra rural than the U.S., the inhabitants up there’s extra diffuse, that means that it’s a bit more durable for retailers of just about any product to achieve a big viewers. For carmakers, which means many cities in Canada can actually solely assist one dealership, however not two or three. Right here’s why that issues…
In America, traditionally, Ford would have all of its manufacturers represented in a neighborhood: Ford, Ford Vans, Mercury and Lincoln. And customarily, Ford and Ford Vans, and Mercury and Lincoln can be paired, or “dualled” as they are saying within the biz. So, two dealership cowl the complete product lineup.
However in Canada, communities are smaller, and the folks additional aside. Because of this for many places, one seller is all a maker can justify. For Ford, for instance, this may be awkward, because the Ford-brand retailer largely caters to mainstream buyers, whereas the Lincoln-Mercury retailer extra upscale clientele. And that is the place issues get fascinating…
Like Basic Motors, Ford developed expanded lineups for its Canadian dealerships, this to permit single retailers to achieve a broader viewers. So, For a part of the Forties and within the Fifties, Ford shops bought a line of upscale fashions below the Monarch model. Likewise, Mercury shops bought a line of automobiles related in worth to Ford fashions branded Meteor.
However what Mercury shops actually wanted was vans. So, In 1947, Merc started promoting “M-Sequence” pickup vans. The M vans have been digital clones of their Ford F-Sequence counterparts, save for some minor grille and trim tweaks.
The advert seen right here depicts a 1954 M-100 pickup, a workhorse effectively suited to rural and agricultural Canada. Mercury sellers in Canada would go on to promote rebranded Ford pickups till 1968.
In an analogous vein, Chrysler developed the Fargo line of vans on the market at its Chrysler-Plymouth shops, which might in any other case have been with out vans of their lineup. And, because the Mercury vans have been rebadged Fords, Fargos have been merely rebadged Dodge vans.
The loopy Canadian-special mannequin phenomenon lasted by the Nineties, and maybe crescendoed with Pontiac promoting a thinly disguised model of the Chevrolet Corsica. You may try extra Canadian-special automobiles right here. And for some excessive Canadian weirdness, examine this out.
And, as for this advert, it’s not loopy or something, nevertheless it has hardly ever been gazed upon by People. There was an entire different auto world up there north o the border, and few of us Yanks know a lot about it.
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