1912 McIntyre

1912 McIntyre is powered by a 288-cubic inch inline four.

Back in the early days of motoring in this country it was common practice for a Canadian carriage maker to turn to an America automobile manufacturer for a supply of engines and running gear.
Hence, hyphenated marques such McLaughlin-Buick and Gray-Dort – still well known among Canadian aficionados of old autos.
Another carriage maker, J.B. Tudhope of Orillia, Ont., started building cars in 1908. They were called Tudhope-McIntyres because they used drivetrains from the W.H. McIntyre Co. of Auburn, Ind.
The reliable and easy-starting highwheeler was quite successful, and the first truck ever bought by the Bell Telephone Co. of Canada was a Tudhope-McIntyre. But when the Tudhope family rebuilt after fire razed the Orillia factory in 1909, it severed the relationship with McIntyre, joining up instead with the Metzger Motor Car Co. of Detroit to build its Everitt 30 under licence. The new venture proved unsuccessful and by 1913 Tudhope had joined the long list of failed Canadian automobile manufacturers.
But that’s really a story for another day.
Today’s tale begins in a London bookstore in 1985, where Peter and Erica McIntyre were flipping through the pages of a book about American automobiles. Among the cars listed was one bearing their surname.
“Hmmm,” said Pete. “I wouldn’t mind having a piece of literature about that car.”
So when they got home to London, Ont., Erica wrote a letter to Hemmings Auto News asking readers for more information about the McIntyre automobile.
“A chap who had one got in touch, but we couldn’t afford it then,” Pete says. “But he waited till we did have the money and we bought it three years later.
Pete was no stranger to old cars, having previously restored a 1930 Chevrolet – “which we still have.”
But the McIntyre was a real challenge because “it was a basket case” and not many were built in the first place. Adding to the difficulty was the fact that except for the rear axle, every component had been made in McIntyre’s own shops. Although the rusty old car was in pieces, with many of them missing, Pete was able to computer match the original deep blue colour because a bit of factory paint still existed underneath the splash apron.

Peter McIntyre and the only 1912 McIntyre known to exist.

The restoration took 13 years and was well worth it because the McIntyres’ McIntyre is the only 1912 model known to exist out of 285 built in what turned out to be the company’s best year. In all, from 1909-15 McIntyre made 1,699 vehicles – many of them trucks or highwheel horseless carriages. Other than Pete and Erica’s 5-passenger touring car, only one other McIntyre with pneumatic tires is known to exist – and that one resides in New Zealand.
The 1912 is powered by a 4-cylinder engine which used individual castings for each cylinder. The inline four displaces 288 cubic inches and generates 40 hp. Pete says “it’ll run all day at 25-30 mph.”
The McIntyres enjoy their old namesake, having driven it about 3,000 miles since the restoration was completed in 2001. But Erica and Pete aren’t the only ones who’ve been bitten by the old car bug. Daughter Kim has been the editor of the regional publication of the Horseless Carriage Club of America and son Rory has helped his dad with the restoration of a 1909 EMF (predecessor to Studebaker). Their present project is creating a period correct 1913 Model T Speedster, but the car that bears their name remains the McIntyre family favourite.
With its huge 27-inch tires and rims, tall canvas top and acres of gleaming brass, it’s easy to see why.