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Simcoe County Museum acquires rare automobile

January 27, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The Simcoe County Museum has acquired a rare piece of history for its permanent exhibit.

The county procured a 1911 Tudhope-Everitt automobile – one of only four in existence which will be on display at the museum.

This extremely rare vehicle was built at the Tudhope factory in Orillia.

“This is a great addition to the Simcoe County Museum,” said County of Simcoe Warden, Basil Clarke. “Simcoe County has a deep manufacturing history and I encourage residents to visit the museum to learn more about the Tudhope-Everitt car and our man artifacts and collections.”

The automobile was purchased from a private collector in Smith Falls, Ontario in late 2022. Today there are only three other known Tudhope-Everitt vehicles in existence.

One of them is the other 1911 model, which is part of the Burnaby Village Museum collection in British Columbia, and there are two that were the 1912 model that are still in existence.

The history of the Tudhope company goes way back to the start of the 20th century.

James Brockett Tudhope was born in Oro Township in 1858 and began working at his father’s carriage business in the late 1800’s. By 1902, the Tudhope Carriage Company spanned three city blocks. The factory building is now home to Lakehead University’s downtown campus and City Hall.

The Tudhope Anderson Company Limited was formed in 1906 and produced farm wagons and equipment. By September 1908, J.B. Tudhope expanded the business to include automobile production. The first model, built in 1909, was based on a collaboration with Indian based W.H. McIntyre Company.

The early vehicles were sometimes referred to as ‘horseless carriages’ and the early design was thought to be simple and practical.

The car is now on display in the museum’s gallery.

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