PFindlay

... not quite done with Phil Foster yet. This is his 1907 Ford Model N. It may have been Phil's first "old" car - he got it from his father who had purchased it in 1916. The following information comes from the Vintage Car Club of Canada's Nanaimo Chapter website: The original owner was Matt Hutchinson, who was a city industrial electrician in Victoria, BC. The car was believed to have been used as a service vehicle for many commercial buildings including the Empress of Victoria Hotel and the Legislature Buildings. About 1916, Bert Foster of Foster's Boat Yard purchased the "N" and kept it for about 20 years. Subsequently it was sold to Phil Foster, Bert's son, who nicknamed it "Lil Abner" and it was seen in many Victoria parades. G.E. Welburn acquired the car and did a restoration about 1962. Possibly it was then donated to the BC Transportation Museum for display in 1982. When the Museum was closed, the car was then transferred to the Nanaimo Transportation Society. It's interesting to note that the Model N was Matt Hutchinson's second car. He had registration #19 in British Columbia issued in 1904. When he bought the Model N it received the #19 registration which it kept when the car was transferred to R. Foster. The car is currently being re-restored by the members of the VCCC Nanaimo Chapter. Pictures are at this link: http://nanaimo.vccc.com/ford folder/ford.htm

Mike, there are some other shots taken at the same time (1921) as well as a few 1917 shots in the Vancouver Archives: If you click the link below they are listed down the left hand side. https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/begg-motor-co-showroom-3 Peter

Hi Keith, I sometimes use a hand held temperature gun to check the temperature in a variety of spots such as entering the rad, exiting the rad, at the temp sensor in the block, even the coolant inside the rad. That may give you an idea of the actual temperature and whether the gauge and thermostat are operating properly. Peter

I'm just about finished with Phil Foster cars here. This is the 1902 Holly Motorette. Its known history goes back to 1913 in Victoria when it was given to three boys who used it in parades. Sadly, all three were killed in WWI. There is a good history of the car here: http://www.bristolmotors.com/holley.html In the early days Phil thought it was a DeDion, hence the name on the front. It went to the Wellburns in 1962 and was often seen at events and tours. Vern completed the London to Brighton run twice with it. It's still on Vancouver Island, and in the public eye. Photos: - an early Phil Foster photo. The history page says he bought it in 1950, but the plate in this picture shows 1940-something. - an early Phil Foster shot - in a Victoria Day Parade - Vern Wellburn driving the Holly in the London to Brighton run ... and a video of the car from 2012.

Not a lot of response here. Does anyone know if there are Chrysler Windsor records anywhere? Peter

Thank you Ariejan, this is very close. The main difference I see is the slight arch along the roofline. Very helpful. Peter

Bill, I believe I have one of those switches. i'll take a look. Peter

In the interests of being even more picky .... here is what is on the step sill of my car. I try not to step on it!

Here are some pictures of Phil Foster's 1910 Russell. I'm not sure how Phil ended up with it, but the car was sold new in Vancouver to George Creech, who had a grocery business and also had real estate interests. It was in use until the early 1920s by Creech or an associate of his. At some point Phil found it and added it to his collection. It went to the Wellburns in 1962 and Vern toured it regularly until he died. It's one of only two 1910 Russels still on the road, although there is another under restoration in Ontario. Photos: - Phil Foster sitting in his 1910 Russell in 1952. - Opera singer and car collector James Melton "pushing" the car at Vancouver City Hall (mid 1950s). The other man is Vancouver Mayor Fred Hume. I believe Phil Foster brought the car to Vancouver hoping that Melton might want to buy it. Good thing he didn't. - The Russell in 1966 when Vern Wellburn had it on the 1966 B.C. Centennial Tour around the province. Vern is wearing the straw hat and that's my mother and sister sitting in the car. (I was abandoned back in Vancouver with my little brother.) The Russell was dark green at the time. Later Vern painted it red, which would have been a factory colour. - A more recent picture of the 1910 Russell taken at an event commemorating Canada's first gas station, in Vancouver. At that event we had a good turnout of original Vancouver cars. That's the Silver Brothers' Peerless in the background.

Interesting. I've never heard of "The McLaughlin Electric". I'll start checking out McLaughlin and taxi bodies. Thanks, Peter

That's an interesting possibility which I will keep in mind as I'm looking through the old photos. Thanks, Peter

Thanks, but I'm trying to identify the body. It is currently on a Russell-Knight (Canadian) chassis so the engine is known. I've found no record of this body style on a Russell so I'm trying to determine if the body has been taken from another car. Peter

Until a few weeks ago, this was my 1935 DeSoto Airflow. It was purchased by the Curran family of Vancouver in 1935 (possibly at Begg Motors) and was Mrs. Curran's car. In the 1950s she passed it on to their only son, Bill, who drove it to school daily. In the early 60s he used to bring it by my dad's service station (Lorne's Automotive on 4th Ave.) regularly. In 1965 he parked it in the carport of the family home and it stayed there until he died in 2008. At that point his widow called my 82 year old dad to ask about getting it and the 1955 Cadillac, which had been beside it for 30 years, sold. Dad worked outdoors on both cars through the winter and ended up buying them both and getting them back on the road. This is a Canadian model, one of 108 built that year. It has some 34 Chrysler trim on it, giving it a unique look among airflows. Most obvious is the three tiered bumper.

I'm trying to ID this body, which may or may not be on its original chassis. It is quite unique in that it has a center door on the right side and a single front door on the left. It's fully enclosed with three sets of slide-down windows on each side. It's a left hand drive, probably circa 1913 - 1915? Suggestions?

Moving from 2 wheels to 3 ... this was another of Phil Foster's cars. It's a 1912 A.C. Sociable, made in London and the A.C. has nothing to do with spark plugs or Albert Champion. It stands for Auto Carrier. Phil Foster ended up selling this three wheeler to his brother-in-law, who had the Russell-Knight shown earlier, and it's still in the family. Photos: In front of Phil's station, and in the 1970s.

There are two 1913 Henderson motorcycles from B.C. that have survived. Both came from Vancouver Island, where Thomas Plimley was the dealer in Victoria. B.C.'s motorcycle registration data is not complete, but what is available shows that 6 Hendersons were registered in 1913, all on the island. Curiously, the two survivors were both found with the entire front end missing - no forks or handlebars. One bike was restored by Art DeGraf and the other by me. My bike was recovered by Buck Rogers back in the 50s. (There are a good number of Buck's vehicles to add to this list.) Art and I were fortunate that Barry Brown in Quebec was willing to have two front ends fabricated using his bike as a copy. The front end of these motorcycles was obviously a weak spot and wouldn't survive a meeting with a tree or ditch. However, a picture surfaced recently of two Victoria kids sitting on a 1913 Henderson with an aftermarket front end that turned it into a trike. It's possible that this bike is is mine and the missing front end was moved to a more modern "update" when the Henderson's days were done. ... You never know. Art's bike had a slightly different frame so this could not be his. Photos: The Victoria trike, Art's 1913 Henderson, my 1913 Henderson, and a video taken at the Aggasiz Speedway.

... and the bike is still around.

Here's a Phil Foster picture of the 1913 LaFrance firetruck from Nanaimo. I wonder how he got it from Nanaimo to Victoria? (at about 4 mpg) I bet he didn't tow it behind the Studebaker! It looks like it may have been towing the Holley in this parade. The third car is the 1911 Stanley.

Yes, if it didn't run, Phil wasn't opposed to pulling it behind a vehicle that did run. We couldn't get away with it now.

Here are pictures of the 1912 Mitchell and the 1911 Hupmobile. I believe the occasion was a Victoria Day parade in Victoria, back in the 50s.

Thanks. 5739 would be a White so that's not it 3739 was a McLaughlin registered to W. J. Dandridge so that's the car. Maybe a brother?

Yes, the family made their mark in B.C. for sure. That's a good picture of The Motor House and a nice bit of history. The car on the left is a Mitchell which was registered to Dandridge himself. Beside that is an EMF. Do you have a better copy of the car in the building to see its plate number?

Phil Foster was one of the early collectors in B.C. In the 1940s and 50s he ran the Speedway Service Station in Victoria and spent many hours searching down and saving cars that would have been destined for the scrap yard, hoping to someday open a museum. Here is a link to the Phil Foster story: http://antique.vccc.com/pioneers/foster/fostercontents.html This RHD 1912 Model T Touring, which he name Elizabeth, was one of his favourites. In 1958, when the Vintage Car Club of Canada had their first tour he drove the Model T through Washington State to Fernie, where the tour started, then back to Victoria as part of the tour. It was a 1300 mile round trip. When Phil sold his cars in the early 1960s (due to failing health) Elizabeth was donated to the Royal Victoria Museum where it remains today. Here is a series of photos depicting the removal of the 1912 Model T from a garage in Victoria circa 1950. It's an interesting glimpse of what it was like to recover a barn find car in those days. The last B&W picture was taken on the 1958 Fernie Tour. The colour picture is at the museum.

Yes, the French car is a good addition to the collection here. Below is a recent picture of the car and here is a link to its story: https://www.autotrader.ca/newsfeatures/20170804/the-105-year-old-ev-that-still-runs-today/

Yes, I agree that it's not likely that you'll stumble across a previously undiscovered "whatever" in B.C. these days. But Ed's White wasn't undiscovered either. A collector had it and when he was ready to sell word got to Ed via the insider market, as you say. Similarly, we may be at a point in the years ahead where some of the long term owners of early B.C. cars decide it's time to part with them. They probably won't end up on Craigslist though so my advice is to stay connected and keep an eye out for anything that may pop up. And there aren't likely to be any bargain basement deals because the owners will know the value and there will be someone willing to pay it.