The Montreal Auto Show. A major event in Quebec. It brings together families, enthusiasts, the curious of all kinds and is also a meeting point for people from the industry who take the opportunity to learn a little more about their competitors’ new products.
Some go there only when the time comes to select a new vehicle, while others have made it an unmissable tradition, year after year. If you’re reading this, chances are you’ll fall into the second category. We then come to ask ourselves the question “Since when does the Auto Show exist? “.
To make a long story short, before you jump into the photo album that follows, Montreal’s first auto show took place in 1914, at the armory (drill hall). Here is an excerpt published in the Monthly Bulletin of the Chamber of Commerce of Montreal, in March 1914:
The Montreal Auto Show took place at the end of last January; it lasted two weeks. During the first week, only passenger cars were exhibited. The second was devoted to industrial vehicles. I counted 126 passenger cars and 70 trucks there. It took place, like last year, at the Arsenal and the decoration, very cheerful, did honor to the Association of car dealers under whose patronage the Show took place.
In 1916, the Salon moved to the Almy’s Building, now known as the Belgo Building, at the southwest intersection of Sainte-Catherine Ouest and de Bleury streets, in the Quartier des Spectacles.
The end of the First World War shook up habits a little and the Salon disappeared to better return to 1931. It was then held at the Stade des Royals, northeast corner of the intersection of rue Ontario and avenue de Lorimier, at the Jacques-Cartier bridge exit. Here we find Parc des Royals, whose name recalls that of the Montreal baseball team of the time, the ” Royals “. This stadium having been built in 1928 was therefore a massive and ultra-modern infrastructure for the time. The Salon will be held there until 1939 and then cease because of the Second World War.
However, it came back in force in 1969 to establish itself at the very recent Place Bonaventure, built in 1967. The Salon was therefore easily accessible by the orange line of the Montreal metro, whose western terminus was Bonaventure station at that time. The Salon will be held there until 1988.
In 1989, the Salon moved to the Olympic Stadium, thus leaving the cozy and luxurious atmosphere offered by the burgundy carpets of Place Bonaventure to adopt a more grandiose and flashy atmosphere. Everything is swimming until the 1999 edition of the Show. That year, the Salon was a few hours away from its opening, everything was ready. Suddenly, the canvas of the roof is torn and floods the living room with accumulated snow! This tragedy could have had disastrous consequences, but luckily there were only a few minor injuries. The Show is therefore cancelled.
For the 2000, 2001 and 2002 editions, we are still at the Stadium and fortunately everything is going well. It was in 2003 that the Salon moved to the Palais des Congrès de Montréal which, for its part, opened its doors in 1983. It was held there without interruption until the 2020 edition. As for 2021 and 2022, I find it unnecessary to mention the reason for the cancellations, you guessed it.
If the “SIAM” enjoyed such popularity, we must not underestimate the help of shows on a smaller scale, i.e. auto-sport shows (therefore modified cars or specialized models not aimed at the general public), the Quebec City Auto Show and the Saint-Hyacinthe Auto Show. But the one that differs the most from the lot is the “English” car show, ie the first cars imported from Europe.
Yes, English cars “from England” had their own salon! The first edition of this show took place in 1958 in the convention hall of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, the same hotel where, 11 years later, the bed-in for peace de John Lennon et Yoko Ono.
So in 1958, the English auto show presented brands such as Hillman, Sunbeam, Morris, Triumph, Jaguar, Austin, Vanguard and the “English” Ford models, the Anglia, Prefect, Consul, Zephyr and Zodiac.
So I invite you to consult the following album. It will, I hope, rekindle the passions of nostalgics and stimulate the imagination of newcomers!
