The Canadian Muscle Car With An American Heart – CarBuzz

When we think of the Canadian automotive industry, muscle cars certainly aren’t what comes to mind. The fact of the matter is, though, that Canada has always been busy creating vehicles, be it from the modern age or as far back as the late 19th century. To put it bluntly. Canada does make cars, we just don’t hear about them often – and this is one we think you need to know about.

Chevrolet

Founded in 1903, Chevrolet is one of America’s oldest remaining legacy automakers. Acquired by General Motors in 1918, Chevrolet is the core GM brand responsible for the bulk of GM’s US sales. As a mass-market manufacturer, Chevrolet competes in multiple key segments, primarily the SUV and truck segments, but also sports cars and mainstream sedans and hatchbacks (until recently). Core models for the brand include the Silverado, Colorado, Suburban, Camaro, and Corvette.

Founded

November 3, 1911

Founder

Louis Chevrolet, Arthur Chevrolet, William C. Durant

Headquarters

Detroit, Michigan, United States of America

Owned By

General Motors

Current CEO

Mary Barra

This four-wheeled Canadian creation lives in relative obscurity, despite it being the most powerful true, classic muscle car that Canada ever created – albeit with a helping hand from General Motors. It’s called the Beaumont SD-396, with “SD” standing for “Sport Deluxe”. It combined elements from multiple GM subsidiaries such as Pontiac and Chevrolet, and only a relative handful of them were made. So, not only was it a Canadian muscle car, it’s quite rare in and of itself, too.

That’s Quite A Big Block, Eh?

Beaumont SD-396 Quick Facts

• Production commenced in 1967
• Utilized existing GM designs for most of its make-up
• Produced up to 375 horsepower
• All Beaumont production was halted in 1969

Most gearheads are familiar with the classic muscle car golden age, which was, arguably, kicked off with the introduction of the 1964 Pontiac GTO. The United States was the epicenter of the muscle car phenomenon, and virtually no other country in the developed world made muscle cars to the same scale that the Americans did. One of the exceptions was, of course, the Beaumont SD-396.

In order to create the thing, General Motors utilized their existing, Canadian-based Beaumont brand. The marque had only come into existence in 1960, just seven years before the introduction of the SD-396. The SD-396 was, in essence, a combination of the American-made Pontiac GTO and the Chevrolet Chevelle. Its exterior panels were shared with the Chevelle, whereas its interior was very closely related to the GTO’s; the only Beaumont-exclusive pieces on the SD-396 were the headlights, grille, and taillights.

Its 396-CID engine was sourced directly from Chevrolet, along with its automatic and manual transmission options. The suspension setup, brake system, and all other mechanical components were Chevelle-based, as well. While it may be up for debate whether you can actually call the Beaumont SD-396 a Canadian car due to how much it shares with its American relatives, the fact of the matter is that it wears the Beaumont badge.

The SD-396’s Chevy Heart

In order to provide the Beaumont SD-396 with enough “oomph”, Chevrolet sent off versions of its 396-CID V8 featured in the Chevelle SS. Because emissions standards were virtually non-existent at the time, the Canadian and US-bound Chevelle SS 396-CID motors are pretty much identical, save for the chrome cover on its air cleaner and the replacement of the orange color featured on the US-made SS 396’s block with a plain, silver paint job.

We’ll take a detailed look at the 1969 Beaumont SD-396’s detailed specs below:

The SD-396 was the top-of-the-line grade of Beaumont’s range, as Beaumont itself only produced a single model from 1966–on after it dropped the Beaumont Acadia, a Chevrolet Nova-based model, following the 1965 model year. Below the Sport Deluxe sat the Beaumont Custom at the middle of the range, and the Beaumont Standard, which served as the entry-level model. All three were based on the Chevrolet Malibu/Chevelle. Both two-door coupes and convertibles were available, along with an extremely rare four-door model.

Beaumont’s Place In The Automotive World

Beaumont as a whole entered the fold in 1960. At the turn of the 1960s, General Motors wanted to enter into the Canadian car market. However, the Auto Pact (APTA) in place in Canada at the time, restricted the importation of American automobiles into Canada. To circumvent these restrictions, General Motors created their own Canada-based brand called Beaumont. Upon its debut, Beaumont offered a single model: the Acadian Line, based on the Chevy Nova. The Line was sold at Pontiac-Buick dealers across Canada, along with select worldwide markets, as well.

Canadian law mandated a certain percentage of domestically-produced parts to be installed on non-Canadian-produced automobiles, so the Acadian utilized Pontiac Le Mans/Tempest parts for its instrument panel. In 1964, GM added the Acadian-Beaumont model, based on the Chevrolet Chevelle. The standard Acadian was also offered alongside it, but the Acadian was axed following the 1965 model year, having been replaced by the Beaumont as the marque’s sole model. So, technically, the only remaining model was called the Beaumont Standard/Custom/Super Deluxe, depending on the trim.

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In 1969, General Motors was not happy with how Beaumont as a whole was performing. This, along with minor changes made to Canadian import laws, allowed GM to discontinue the brand entirely. Pontiac and Chevrolet then moved into the Canadian market full-time, and it’s been that way since.

Another Canadian “Muscle Car” You Need To Know About

Now, before arguments are sparked by our calling the gullwinged Bricklin SV-1 a muscle car, let us discuss it for a moment. Much like the Chevrolet Corvette C3, which blurred the line between sports car and muscle car, the Bricklin SV-1’s body shape and two-seater interior typically spell sports car. However, its use of both AMC and Ford V8s push it back into muscle car territory. In actuality, it’s a hybrid of both, but a master of neither.

The SV-1 was created by a man called Malcom Bricklin, a renowned automobile importer during the 1960s. The purpose of the SV-1 was to create one of the world’s first safety-oriented performance cars. Then-revolutionary safety upgrades including energy-absorbing bumpers and a special integrated roll cage were featured on the SV-1, along with it featuring a complete lack of cigarette lighters of ashtrays. Perhaps this decision was made due to Mr. Bricklin having hated smoking, but, officially, this was done as a fire safety measure.

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The Bricklin SV-1 only struck around for two years, having been produced in 1974 and 1975. 1974 models were equipped with an AMC 360-CID V8, which was capable of producing up to 220 horsepower and 315 lb-ft of torque. Bricklin moved to Ford as its engine supplier for the 1975 model year, choosing to employ the use of a 351-CID Windsor V8. This engine produced 175 horsepower, albeit with a two-barrel carburetor as opposed to the four-barrel offered in the AMC 360-CID V8 version.

Sources: Supercars.net, FastestLaps.com, Hemmings, Motor1.com