Canadian Science & Technology Museum’s “Back Room”

In 1967, the Canadian government put together one of the most revolutionary museums in the country, known as the Science & Technology Museum. The sprawling facility was not only unique in its collection of Canadian innovations and inventions, it was also one of the first museums to take a “hands-on” approach to displays, giving patrons the chance to interact with the educational elements of the museum.

Although the museum itself is an amazing place to visit (and a great way to spend a day), the real attraction is the back room where they store museum property that isn’t on display at the moment. The room isn’t generally open to the public, but we had a connection on the inside to show us how Canada’s largest museum rolls.

The collection spans from Canada’s first known car, to a first-generation Prius, and even a 1984 Chrysler minivan. If there’s a vehicle that is significant to the history of motoring in Canada, chances are good that it’s in here.

This steam-powered “horseless carriage” was the first Canadian automobile, built by a Mr. Henry Seth Taylor of Stanstead, Quebec. It had everything that a vehicle of its era would have, except brakes. This led to Canada’s first car accident, and to the car being dumped in a barn until it was discovered and re-built years later.

This little red thing was Henry Ford’s original Model A, dating back to 1903. What’s most surprising about this vehicle is the backseats-since they had yet to figure out how to make seats fold into the floor (like most SUVs and minivans today), this early roadster just let you take them right out, revealing a pickup bed underneath.

This big, beige phateon-style limo is a 1928 McLaughlin-Buick, designed and built especially for a visit by the Royal Family to Canada. This specimen is one of only two ever assembled, although both are thankfully still alive and safe.

You know how most new-car reviews talk about how many sets of golf clubs can fit in the trunk? Well, this 1937 Packard 1501 sacrificed its trunk to make room for a rumbleseat, so where do the golf clubs go? In their own trunk, of course!

Around the time this car was built, golf was a very important game to the wealthy and the upper class. So much so that Packard added a special compartment exclusively for the storage of one set of golf clubs to this very large convertible.

Although Canada has had few successful automakers, there have nonetheless been several attempts. This Manic GT coupe was one of those attempts. Started in 1968 in Quebec by Jaques About, a former Renault executive, the Manic GT was a fibreglass-bodied coupe intended to be a fun, enjoyable runabout. Using Renault engines and running gear, the little car company that could eventually couldn’t, thanks to a prolonged strike in Renault’s engine factory back in France. By the time motors were flowing to Canada, the company had run out of cash, and the assets were sold off at public auction.

But when you think of Canadian-built cars, this is what most people think of-the 1975 Bricklin SV-1. Another fibreglass-bodied sports coupe, the car’s history was plagued with scandal after scandal, soon causing the business to go under. Even though all the trendy historians look down on the Bricklin, there are still diehard fans out there who own (and love) their SV-1′s.

Around the same time that Bricklin was building the safest car on the road, the hype around Wankel engines was at its peak. Today, we know about the bad fuel efficiency associated with the motor, but way back when gas was cheap, no one seemed to care. In fact, there was a rush to build something-anything-to be powered by a rotary engine. Pictured above is a rotary-powered Hercules motorcycle.

Celebrity cars are a big thing with most musuems, and the Science & Technology museum is no exception. This first-generation Toyota Prius hybrid was once the pride and joy of Canadian scientist & environmentalist David Suzuki. Being that it was one of the first Toyota hybrids off the line, it was built specifically for sale in Japan. Not only is the steering wheel on the wrong side, all controls, warning lights, and any other signage inside the car is written exclusively in Japanese.

The Science and Technology Museum has more than just old cars-there’s an impressive collection of old trains and locomotives as well. This big blue beast was one of three prototype diesel locomotives for use in the third world. The concept here was to use readily-available heavy-duty truck parts for power instead of hard-to-find and expensive-to-buy train parts. Out of the three built, one was lost when the boat carrying it sank, and the other just plain went missing, making this the last remaining example.

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