Following the end of WWII, the larger US automobile manufacturers with Canadian subsidiaries decided to emphasize production of special brandnamed cars and trucks. All three of the "Big Three" manufacturers became involved in this venture. The June 2011 "Hemmings Classic Cars Magazine" presented a most interesting and informative "Geneology of Post-War Canadian Variants". The first Variant cited was a Monarch; a companion to the US Mercury.
These Variants sometimes used body parts from a similar brand with modified grille and chrome strip identifiers. The Variants were reportedly introduced by the Canadian subsidiaries to provide their consumers with a larger choice of vehicles to be purchased.
It is recognized that until 2011, no toy or model company has produced a Canadian Variant model in 1:64 scale. I do recall that Brooklin of England introduced a model of the Meteor ( Ford) in 1:43 scale, maybe ten years ago, but models of such vehicles are far from common! Thus Castline Inc/M2 Machines opened a new marketing venture when they produced the 1956 Mercury Pickup Truck (somewhat similar to the Ford counterpart), yet still quite identifiable in its own right.
Now, M2 has just issued another Canadian Variant! This is the Acadian Canso. The fullsize car used sheet metal from the 1967 Chey Nova but was produced to be sold by Canadian Pontiac Dealers. This brandname was used from 1952-1971. The demise of this brandnamed car occurred about the same time as other cars and trucks using Canadian Variant names also ceased production.
My hat is off to Castline personnel in discovering a new way to sell existing castings by providing slight design modifications to produce new models for the collector market. Comparison of the two separate models reflects many subtle differences which include use of modified grilles and bumpers. In addition, the identification decals differ greatly. The basic difference is definitely in the grille area. The Canadian version uses a vertical separator with emblem in the center of the grille which provides a characteristic Pontiac split grillle appearance which existed until the death of Pontaic in the recent 2000s.
The rear trunk lid chrome piece also has the Acadian name spelled out in large capital letters, whereas the Nova uses a smaller ID emblem on the right side of this chrome strip. Other identifier decals differ between the two cars. Also the rear bumper on the Acadian has the backup lights painted into the rear bumper while the Chey has them stacked below the taillight housings. The detail on both of these models is amazing! The only way one can really appreciate the fine detailed emblems etc, is by use of a highpowered magnifying glass.
The summation of this new model can only be stated as an excellent representation of a car from past decades that is no longer with us! Thank you Castline personnel!
Tags: Vehicles, Tales of Toy Cars
