Page 12. Whltby Free Press, Wednesday, Decomber 20, 1995 by JiI Mclntosh. The SO-O Itfs always great, to hear a Canadian success story, and few can match that of our greatest automotive manufacturer, Runciman & Feils. Neyer heard of it? You're flot alone, for few know the company's name, but there's hardly a person in the world who isn't familiar with their most famous produet, the 80C-01. The company is stili located in their original plant, just outside of Cape Parr, N.W.T., and when he was on a recent trip here I had the pleasure of obtaiming an interview with founder- Dr. Wolfgang Runcîman. I met him for lunch and was surprised te. find iIi--nîiù-li younger than bis years, an extremely small man with an elfish grin. The company was founded in 1927 by Runciman and bis bruther-in-law, Holger Fel s, when they came te Canada from their native Lapland. Their original line was dogsleds. They were known for the superiority of their product, but their small lientele made for difficult times. "It was 1929 when we got the order for the* 80-01, 5'unciman said. 'That was what really turned us around." The 80-01, a vehicle well ahead ofits time, outahone even the Rolîs Royces of the day. Ita type had neyer been attempted before. "Our client came te us with a very specific list of requirements," Runciman said. "It took'a lot of planning and even more in engineering, but rm proud te sy that the SC-01 met or exceeded every expectation our'client had." With no prototypes or examples, Runciman & FeIls' engineers faced a difficult task, especially considering the relatively primitive technology of the day. "E'veiything about the SC-01 was tailored exclusively for our client," Runiman continued. It was a one-seater, but because our client is a large man, we had te reinforoe the seat. "We faced an énormous task when it came te, cargo spaoe, sinoe it was built. primarily te carry parcels. We ended *up fitting it with a variety of compartments that could acconunodate an entire range of package sizes." Dr. Runciman showed me a rare photo of the 80-01, and I can verify that its cargo area puts a modern- day minivan te shame. "We had te provide both heating and air conditioning that would function even though there was no roof," Runciman said. "Our client would be wearing heavy clothes even in warm limates, 50 cooling was especially important. rm proud te, say that we had a fully functional climate control system while other carmakers were stilI improving their engines. "The vehicle also had te be manoeuvrable, and it had te be easy te, park, even if the parking space had a very steep pitch." Once the engineers had ail of that figured out, there was still the burning question: how te make it go? Runeiman Iaughed. "We didn't think we'd ever get around that." They triedjust about everything. They used a regular six-cylinder engine and then a V-8, and the engineers even came up with a V- SER, PAGE 13 Police-power CONSTABLE ESTHER Rathwell of the Children's Safety Village of Durham Region provides the horsepower of tme mini-vehicle navigated by John Fionis, treasurer of the Whitby Volunteer Firefighters Association, viewed by an Ajax public school class mhat was visiting the Whitby facility recentiy. The association donated $500 -- proceeds from a car wash - to the village. Photo by Jeoem Dresar, Whltby Free Prees Betore your winter road tri m-l -safe- Guard partner, Emergency Preparedness Canada, offers the following suggestions on what te do before you start a winter road trip and what te do if you find yourself stranded in the cold: Plan for emergencies: Consider membership in the Canadian Automobile Assocation or other emergency road service. If you do a lot of winter driving away from main roads, you might also consider having a cellular phone in your vehicle te caîl for help. To help avoid breakdowns, always make sure your car 18 in good mechanical condition, that you have ample gasoline for the trip and that your snow tires or all- season radials are properly inflated and not teo badly worn. Hised weather warnlngs Listen te the local weather forecast before you set out on the road. If you hear warnings of severe winter weather condition such as blizzards, heavy snow, freezing ramn or high winds, venture out in your vehicle only if it is really necessary. SEE PAGE 13 m Il