In 1960,

Ford Canada Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited ( French: ''Ford du Canada Limitée'') was founded on August 17, 1904, for the purpose of manufacturing and selling Ford automobiles in Canada and the British Empire. It was originally known as the Walkerville ...

introduced the Frontenac to give Mercury-

Meteor A meteoroid () is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space. Meteoroids are defined as objects significantly smaller than asteroids, ranging in size from grains to objects up to a meter wide. Objects smaller than this are classified as mi ...

dealers a compact vehicle to sell. It was a separate marque, like Lincoln was to Ford. Produced for the 1960 model year only, the Frontenac was essentially a 1960

Ford Falcon Ford Falcon is an automobile nameplate applied to several vehicles worldwide. * Ford Falcon (North America), an automobile produced by Ford from 1960 to 1970. * Ford Falcon (Argentina), a car built by Ford Argentina from 1962 until 1991. * Fo ...

with its own unique grille, tail lights, and external trim, including red maple-leaf insignia. It was the second-best selling compact in Canada during its one year (5% of Ford's total Canadian output). A total of 9,536 Frontenacs were built at its

Oakville, Ontario Oakville is a town in Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Lake Ontario between Toronto and Hamilton. At its 2021 census population of 213,759, it is Ontario's largest town. Oakville is part of the Greater Toronto Area, one of the ...

, plant. In August 1960 a prototype 1961 Frontenac was driven from Halifax to Vancouver for a

photo shoot A photo shoot is the process taken by creatives and models that results in a visual objective being obtained. An example is a model posing for a photographer at a studio or an outdoor location. A photo shoot is a series of images that are taken ...

only for the crew to learn that the Canadian model was discontinued from the domestic market and replaced by the

Comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ...

for the 1961 model year. At launch the Frontenac was available in 2-door and 4-door sedan body styles with 2-door and 4-door station wagons added later. The Frontenac is one example of U.S. automakers' attempts to market slight variations of U.S. models as unique Canadian makes. Like the

Monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power i ...

and

brands marketed by the

Ford Motor Company of Canada Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited (French: ''Ford du Canada Limitée'') was founded on August 17, 1904, for the purpose of manufacturing and selling Ford automobiles in Canada and the British Empire. It was originally known as the Walkerville W ...

, the Frontenac was not part of the Ford or Mercury lines. It was its own

marque A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

, and was marketed as such. The Frontenac was named after a late 17th century governor of New France. The name had been used previously, from 1931 to 1933, on a car assembled in Toronto by Dominion Motors. Model Information

References

External links

1960 Frontenac
at Old Cars Canada

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford Frontenac Cars of Canada Ford Motor Company of Canada Vehicles introduced in 1960 Frontenac Compact cars Coupés Sedans Station wagons Rear-wheel-drive vehicles 1960s cars Ford Motor Company Marques

Further reading

References

External links