Fossmobile trying to find its way back to Sherbrooke

The Fossmobile, Canada’s first successful gasoline powered automobile, created by Sherbrooke mechanic, blacksmith and bicycle repairman George Foote Foss, is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. His grandson, Ron Foss, is in the process of rebuilding the vehicle using original parts where possible, to create a replica as a tribute to a significant moment in Canada’s automotive history and more importantly, Foss’s legacy.

Through the establishment of Fossmobile Enterprises, which has a goal of sharing Foss’s accomplishment through collaborations and networking, Foss took on the tribute project and is getting excited for the Fossmobile’s grand unveiling.

The vehicle is almost complete and Foss, in collaboration with the Sherbrooke Historical Society, is

hoping to bring the vehicle back to Sherbrooke where it all began to mark the 125th anniversary of its invention.

The project, however, has hit a few speed bumps along the way.

“We plan to unveil it at the end of April and there will be a few local activities here (Ontario), but the next big initiative is to hopefully bring it to Sherbrooke the 19th, 20th, 21st, of August at the Marché de la Gare,” said Foss.

Each summer, the Sherbrooke Historical Society holds an event at the Marché de la Gare that brings people back in time.

“It’s an event we have been doing for 10 years and we bring the public market back to the 1900s. All of the vendors put a product at a historical price, you can have three cucumbers for 10 cents or a basket of apples for 20 cents,” explained David Lacoste, director of the historical society. “We have performers, traditional dances, and the museum won the General Governor’s Award for it in 2017. It’s a known event and it is appreciated, it allows the museum to be seen and we can connect with the public in a historical context. The Fossmobile would benefit our tenth event.”

However, the group has run into some obstacles to find financing to get the Fossmobile to Sherbrooke.

“We would really like it to come to Sherbrooke for its 125th anniversary so we asked for financial support from

Heritage Canada and we were refused,” Lacoste explained, suggesting the funding body may not fully understand the historical significance of the Fossmobile.

“George Foote Foss received an offer from Ford, but he refused,” Lacoste said. “He was the first inventor in Canada, it isn’t just nothing.”

The historical society’s mission is to share local history and it wants to find a way to make sure the Fossmobile finds its way back home. It is currently working on finding other financial solutions and they are ironing out the details for the coordination of the event. “It’s an opportunity we can’t let slip by as a historical group.”

While the car won’t be up and running due to risks associated with a 125-year-old engine, the event would allow people from near and far to experience the Fossmobile in its completion. “About 80 per cent of it is completed, but if not for Covid or delays it would probably have been completed by now. The major components are done, but in order to get it within 95 per cent authenticity we have finer details and final work to do to make it complete. We are just in those stages now,” said Foss.

The project required a lot of work. “The body is done, the wheels and chassis, a front calling that goes over the engine, the chain work is done, it’s really down to the finer details. We put it all together using standard bolts, but in those days all the bolts would have been square so we have to replace every bolt we used temporarily to put it together.”

Foss also applied to Heritage Canada to receive financing to complete the car, but was at first refused until it was appealed. He recently received news that his request has been accepted. “Matthew Farfan wrote a letter directly to the heritage minister and so did my local MP. Between the two of them, I got a call within five or six hours from the administrator saying they would consider an appeal; that was not the case at first.”

Despite the setbacks for him and the historical society, Foss emphasized that Townshippers have been in their corner, including the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network and local corporate sponsorship. “There are significant groups from the Townships cheering us on to bring it to Sherbrooke.”

If you’re looking to support the Fossmobile, visit http://www. fossmobile.ca/ for contact details and other information.