From the horseless carriage to the gold standard in car safety – behind the scenes at the Ingenium

It had no brakes, no reverse, no modern steering wheel and no bumpers. But Canada’s oldest known vehicle – called the Henry Seth Taylor steam buggy – does have one distinction other early cars do not: it was allegedly responsible for the first car accident in Canada.  

Built in 1867 by Henry Seth Taylor, a jeweller from Stansted, QC, the vehicle looked like a carriage without a horse, which is exactly why early automobiles were called ‘the ‘horseless carriage.’ Powered by a steam boiler in the back, open to the elements but sporting a lamp (for night driving, one assumes) Taylor’s one-off vehicle was big on innovation and but relatively light on safety standards.   

Fortunately, vehicle safety standards have evolved since then – with a few speedbumps along the way. CAA Magazine dropped by the Ingenium Centre to walk through their impressive collection of vehicles with Dr. Emily Gann, Ingenium’s curatorial division director, to learn about the evolving rules of the road.  

Henry Seth Taylor steam buggy, 1867

Ingenium Artifact No.: 1983.0423 

Henry Seth Taylor was a watchmaker and jeweller by trade, but after seeing a US-built steam buggy in 1864, he decided to build his own 230kg steam-powered ride. Fueled by coal-fired steam boiler, the vehicle bumped along at a 24km/h top speed and was unveiled at the Stanstead Fall Fair in 1868.  

The Henry Seth Taylor steam buggy is evidence of early automotive design and thinking, says Emily Gann.  

“It doesn’t have a steering wheel; you turn a crank to change direction. It doesn’t allow for tight turns unless you’re very fast at cranking.  When we think about vehicle safety, this would not be road-certified today. It’s alleged that Henry Seth Taylor was involved in the first car accident in Canada because there were no brakes,” she says.  

The innovation was a head-turner, if not exactly a smooth ride.  

“The excitement probably would have trumped how uncomfortable you were feeling. There are a few features designed to make it shock absorb. But the roads were not paved and could be full of holes and gravel. It was challenging for it to go long distances,” says Gann.  

The vehicle was stored in a barn, then purchased in the 1950s and restored by an American collector. The vehicle was acquired in 1983 by Ingenium and has since been on display at the Canada Science and Technology Museum. 

Ford Model T, 1914

Ingenium Artifact No.: 1967.0029 

Located just a few feet away from the steam buggy in the Ingenium Centre but a world away in terms of science and innovation is the museum’s Ford Model T.  

The first Model T’s were manufactured at the Canadian factory in 1908. Considered the world’s first mass-produced vehicle, it was reasonably priced, mostly due to Ford’s assembly line strategy. The vehicle’s price in 1910 was $780, but once it became adopted widely and production took off, many middle-class families could purchase a Ford in 1924 for just $290 or around $5,156 in today’s money. 

It had three pedals: forward, reverse, and a clutch to engage the transmission. It was also a rear-wheel drive, which became the standard for car design in the ensuing decades. 

Unfortunately, the Model T also had a few safety issues, like the drive bands falling out of adjustment, the crank sometimes injuring those starting the car, and a wet clutch that could force the car to move forward, even in neutral.  

Chevrolet Corvair, 1960

Ingenium Artifact No.: 1990.0156 

Sporty, fast, and coming in a range of models from sedans to pick-up trucks, the Corvair had a lot going for it. Designed with an air-cooled engine – hence Corvair – it was a pretty popular choice when it first hit the Canadian market. Around 50,000 Corvairs were built at the General Motors assembly plant in Oshawa from 1960 to 1965.  

But before long, it earned another reputation, pushed along by consumer advocate Ralph Nader’s 1965 book, Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile.  

“Between Henry Seth Taylor and this artifact, we see a boom in automobile production and things like lights, frame design, and brakes. These are all sold as safety features,” says Gann.   

But, like the Henry Seth Taylor, the Corvair was accident-prone.  

“There were a few issues, such as the engine being rear-mounted. There also were cases where engines fell out of the rear of the vehicle, so it wasn’t a reliable automobile. The accidents weren’t rooted in driver error, which we often see, but in the actual design of the car,” she says.  

“Essentially, the way it was designed made it very unstable, and there could be spinouts as it turned.” 

But the Corvair’s legacy actually lives on in better safety standards. As a result of its track record, production ceased in 1965 in Canada, and helped spark conversations about design safety. 

“If we look at it in terms of what it did for vehicle safety, it really moved that conversation forward when it was important because increasingly, you see people owning cars, driving cars, and needing cars. So, having a standardized approach to safety is integral,” she says.  

Transport Canada Plymouth Satellite Test Vehicle, 1972

Ingenium Artifact No.: 1976.0351 

As road infrastructure improved and speed limits increased, Transport Canada took the lead in determining exactly which safety features should be standard in vehicles. And to do that, they took a road trip with a specially kitted-out Plymouth Satellite.  

Decked out with everything from running lights on the hood to a massive rear-view periscope in place of a mirror, the test vehicle came fully loaded.  

“They took an everyday car, a Plymouth, and equipped it with all kinds of experiments to see how it would fare. Then, they toured it around the country at different expos, conventions, and conferences to really have conversations about what vehicle safety should look like,” says Gann.  

“It’s not your everyday drive, and a lot of the features that we see on it didn’t make it. One is the rear-view periscope, a more extended rear-view mirror. It has more visibility, but if you have inclement weather or snow build-up, your periscope won’t work. It also hindered airflow and made the car less efficient, so it wasn’t included in the standard kit,” she says.   

The car also had a driver response-time system, like an early sobriety test. To start the car, the driver had to quickly click different switches that would light up. The vehicle was also used to test hubcap weights amongst other things.  

Gann says the test vehicle is iconic of the 1970s focus on raising awareness in terms of vehicle safety and legislation such as the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, which informed and influenced manufacturers’ standards and designs going forward.   

“The Transport Canada vehicle is also an example of how testing the real thing is essential to understanding what you need to know when making design choices. Just doing lab work or design work will only get you so far. Going out, driving, and doing those experiments or tests gives you valuable information,” she says.  

“The vehicle travelled across the country so people could have these conversations about vehicle safety, raise awareness, and build interest in vehicle safety.”   

Volvo, 1989

Ingenium Artifact No. 1999.0114

Once car design safety standards were adopted internationally, German car manufacturer Volvo became the drivers for innovation in safety. In fact, although Volvo designed and owned the patent on the three-point seatbelt used universally today, it’s an open patent and can be adopted by any manufacturer.  

Despite its reputation as a “boxy but good” vehicle, the Volvo became the gold standard for well-designed, well-built family cars, says Gann. The museum’s silver Volvo stands out as her all-time favourite.  

“This Volvo was built in 1989 from a factory in Nova Scotia. With this model, they promoted in the manuals and sales catalogues that we have associated with it just how safe it was. They promoted a safety cage, rustproof and chip-proof paint, undercarriage capacity and other features,” she notes. 

“A lot of its contemporaries used language about speed. In comparison, Volvo focused on how safe their vehicles are. They had a guarantee on the warranty for their seat belts so if anything malfunctioned, that was a lifetime warranty.” 

CAA Members save 25% on single admission tickets or memberships to all three Ingenium Museums.