McLaughlin (-Buick)

CDN, 1908 – 1922 (McLaughlin); 1923 – 1942 (McLaughlin-Buick)

McLaughlin Motor Car Co Ltd, Oshawa, Ont.

The McLaughlin car company’s slogan was ‘Canada’s Standard Car’. In addition to being a slogan it became a statement of fact for McLaughlin cars. Canada was founded in 1867, and so was the McLaughlin Carriage Company, which began by producing two hand-made sleights. By the turn of the century McLaughlin carriages and sleighs were among the best known and most highly regarded in the country. An attempt to build McLaughlin cars from the ground up failed when the chief-engineer fell sick just as assembly was to start, whereupon McLaughlin cars agreed with W.C. Durant to put Buick engines and some other parts into the McLaughlin cars. The agreement was for 15 years, under terms very favourable to McLaughlin.

The first McLaughlin car was produced in 1908. Mechanically, this McLaughlin car was like the contemporary Bucik 4, but the body was all-Canadian. Production the first year was between 150 and 200 McLaughlin cars. Output climbed to 423 the next year and to 1.098 McLaughlin carsby 1914. It rose slowly to around 6.000 yearly, spurting ahead to 15.000 McLaughlin cars in the final year of 1922. McLaughlin car bodies continued to be different from Buick bodies, and considerably more elaborate for as long as they were made of wood. After that the McLaughlin cars became generally similar, though hoods, dashboards and other fittings and trim continued to be more luxurious on McLaughlin cars. A.P. Sloan, president of General Motors, once spotted a McLaughlin car outside the New York City Buick showroom and flew into a rage lest Buick buyers should see the McLaughlin car and demand similar quality. McLaughlin cars were sold on the reputation of McLaughlin carriages. Very early in their car-building enterprise the name for their McLaughlin cars was changed to Buick, but sales fell so drastically that it was changed back to McLaughlin. From about 1910 until the early 1920s, McLaughlin produced a very full range of McLaughlin cars including a four, a light six and the standard six. These McLaughlin cars were each available in all the usual body styles, often offering a choice in trim. The light six was basically the American Oakland with a McLaughlin nameplate.

In 1915 McLaughlin cars also began producing Chevrolets under licence, but again featuring a somewhat better-finished product than the American company. In 1918 the entire McLaughlin car business was sold to General Motors and became General Motors of Canada. When the original 1907 agreement ran out in 1923 the name of the car was changed to McLaughlin-Buick. Differences in the Canadian car became minute and the McLaughlin prefix was dropped entirely early in World War 2.

In 1927 the McLaughlin car company produced a custom touring car for a visit by the Prince of Wales, and in 1939 two huge convertible limousines McLaughlin cars for the visit of the King and Queen.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; HD

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