Being sold with title in transit.
Rich Red contrasts with the black fenders and wheels
Whitewalls make the dark colors really pop
Clean restoration and well-maintained
Runs and drives as it should
Beautiful example of what Oakland was capable
All of the gauges on the sparsely appointed dash are easily
readable and the brass contrast nicely with the rich red body while
complimenting the wood steering wheel. The black leather interior
is in fine shape as well. This is one you can get in a cruise down
to the ice cream shop knowing you haven't a care in the world.
By 1920, Oakland was a well-seeded division of General Motors and
struggled to define its position in a crowded field of like-minded
cars. One bright spot was the six-cylinder roadster you see here.
The deep red with black fenders and painted wooden wheels provide a
rich-looking contrast that makes the whitewalls really pop. This is
one convertible that would rival that of Oldsmobile or Cadillac
even if it wasn't as pricey in the day. The restoration on this one
leaves virtually nothing left to do to get it show worthy.
The Oakland Motor Car Company of Pontiac, Michiganwas an American
automobile manufacturer and division of General Motors. Purchased
by General Motors in 1909, the company continued to produce
modestly priced automobiles until 1931 when the brand was dropped
in favor of the division's Pontiacmake.
The company was named for Oakland County, Michigan, in which it was
based. As originally conceived and introduced, the first Oakland
used a vertical two-cylinder engine that rotated
counterclockwise.This design by AlansonPatridge Brush, inventor of
the single-cylinder Cadillacand Brush Runabout, also featured a
planetery transmission.The 1908 Oakland came in five body styles,
designated Model A-E , varying from a runabout to a landaulet.The
first year of Oakland production, 1908, had 278 vehicles roll off
the line.
After one year of production, Oakland's principal founder, Edward
Murphy, sold half of the company to William C. Durant's General
Motors Corporation in early 1909.When Murphy died in the summer of
1909, GM acquired the remaining rights to Oakland. Within General
Motors, Oakland was later slotted pricewise above the volume-priced
Chevroletand below the more expensive Oldsmobile, Buick, and
Cadillac cars. Conventional four-cylinder engined models were
introduced shortly after the GM takeover.
In 1916, the company introduced a V8 engine and production soared
to 35,000 in 1917, shared with the Chevrolet Series D.By early
1920, however, production and quality control problems began to
plague the division. In 1921, under new General Manager Fred
Hannum, a consistent production schedule was underway and the
quality of the cars improved, and Oakland vehicles shared the GM A
platformused by Chevrolet. One marketing tactic was the employment
of a quick-drying bright blue automotive lacquerby Duco(a
DuPontbrand product), leading to the slogan "True Blue
Oakland".
The Oakland car was built only in Pontiac, Michigan, which is the
county seatof Oakland County. The name antedates any GM association
with an automobile manufacturing facility in Oakland, California,
that built Chevrolet vehicles before Chevrolet joined GM called
Oakland Assembly.
