Historic Victoria Advertisements
Automobiles & Transportation 1920-1929

As part of our series on Historic Victoria Advertisements, Automobiles & Transportation, 1920-1929, here is a 1926 advertisement for Pontiac Six automobiles, with prices, from McRae-Meldram Motors, 933 Yates Street.

Apart from the advertisement itself, note what the ad copy says about the General Motors plant in Oshawa, Ontario:

“General Motors of Canada, LImited has now completed the extensive new Pontiac plant at Oshawa, where Pontiac Sixes will be built in answer to the demands of Canadian buyers. As a result Pontiac Sixes may now be sold without Excise Tax – thus reducing still further the price of this remarkable, low cost, high quality six [cylinder car]….”

As the time we posted this, the Oshawa General Motors plants were in the news for having shut down production lines and laid off workers. It is interesting to see the original rationale for building GM cars in Oshawa in 1926 was to avoid Excise Tax on cars imported from GM in the United States.

1926 advertisement for Pontiac Six automobiles, placed by McRae-Meldrum Motors, 933 Yates Street. (Victoria Online Sightseeing Tours collection)

1926 advertisement for Pontiac Six automobiles, placed by McRae-Meldram Motors, 933 Yates Street. (Victoria Online Sightseeing Tours collection)

The automobile dealership at 933 Yates Street has since been replaced by a mall, which has London Drugs as its anchor store.

Here is a map showing the location of 933 Yates Street:

Here is a Google Street View image of 933 Yates Street:

Here are some historic photographs of car dealers and garages at the southwest corner of Yates Street and Vancouver Street, the site of 933 Yates Street:

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