Frontenac [1] (Canada)

Frontenac was an automobile brand established by Dominion Motors Ltd in Leaside, Ontario, during the early 1930s. The company was formed to take over the Canadian operations of Durant, aiming to succeed in car manufacturing at a time when Durant was struggling in the United States. The brand was named after Count Frontenac, an 18th-century governor of New France, and it introduced its first model, the Frontenac 6-70, in August 1931.

The Frontenac 6-70 was a more powerful and luxurious variant of the Durant Six, featuring a 72 horsepower, 3570 cc six-cylinder engine. It was characterized by a slightly vee'd radiator and was available in several body styles, including sedan, coupe, and sport roadster. In addition to the Frontenac models, the Leaside factory also produced 4- and 6-cylinder variants of Durants and Reo Flying Clouds.

In May 1932, the company launched the Frontenac 6-85, which was manufactured under license from Devaux. This model was powered by a 3517 cc Continental Red Seal engine and was offered in sedan, coupe, and convertible configurations, priced approximately CDN$200 higher than the 6-70. However, total sales for Frontenac in 1932 were fewer than 1,000 units.

In an attempt to boost sales in 1933, the company introduced a lower-priced model based on the Continental. This included the C-400, equipped with a 2345 cc four-cylinder engine, and the C-600, which featured a 3517 cc six-cylinder engine. A more luxurious model, the Ace, was also available, but it was imported from Detroit rather than produced in Canada. Ultimately, none of the models achieved significant sales success, and production at the Leaside facility ceased just before Christmas in 1933.